Hogosha
by Lost to the Hoping
Summary: They are the guardians, the keepers of peace in a world wrought with disaster. Their only problem is that they don't have the most basic of all human needs; love. SeixUsa/ShoxTama
1. The Witness

**Hogosha(1)**

**Chapter 1**

**The Witness**

"Aa," agreed Shota. "Let's move out so cleanup can get-"

"Was that closet open earlier?" Seiju asked uneasily, staring at the closet door that hung slightly ajar.

Shota blinked, thinking back, but Usaki answered almost immediately. "... I don't think it was," he said, frowning.

Seiju didn't like that answer. He glanced at Usaki, who already had his gun in hand. They nodded before Shota edged forward, pulling the door open. As soon as he did, there was a terrified, childish squeal and a huge boot came flying out, smacking into Shota's face with impressive force. A little girl, not much older than six, darted past the captain, glancing back at him in fear, and ran smack-dab into Seiju's legs.

He reached down, but she screamed, scrambled to her feet, and dove behind Usaki, trembling as she clutched at his legs. Usaki blinked.

After a moment of dead silence, Seiju grimaced. "... she saw, didn't she?"

Shota nodded. "I think so. There's nothing we can do. We didn't know she was in there..."

Usaki was looking down at the tiny arms clinging to his knees, blinking. He appeared to be frozen to the spot. Slowly, he twisted his middle to get a better look at her. Long, waist-length brown hair, elfen face, large brown eyes and pale skin. She was skinny. Unnaturally so. "I believe she's homeless," he replied, reaching down to touch her head gently. He felt a little awkward. He'd never dealt with children before, especially of the female variety.

Slowly, she lifted her head, eyes staring up at him fearfully. She was crying, and he felt something twist inside of him. Shota knelt beside her and she squeaked, burying her face in the back of Usaki's legs as if that would block everything else out. Frowning, Seiju knelt too.

The cleaning crew had started to come in by this point, and Igarashi trounced in, likely wondering what was taking them so long. He grimaced at the sight that met him inside the apartment. "Ah, man, what is with you guys and kids? All the time. I swear, they flock to you," he groused.

Seiju shot him a look before touching her shoulder. She glanced at him and jerked away, eyes wide and staring at him like she expected him to bite her. Seiju gulped. "She definitely saw," he said mournfully.

"Hey, sweety," Shota said, putting his shoulder between Seiju and the girl.

Seiju sighed, but knew it was likely necessary. "I'll go outside," he said, standing.

Usaki shot him a pleading look, but remained stock still and silent. Seiju patted his shoulder before trotting outside. Once he was gone, Usaki glowering after him mutely, Shota held his hand out to the girl, pulling his mask down with the other. "Hey, sweety. Can you tell me your name?" he asked cautiously, all the while turning the charm on in hopes of getting her to release her captive. In this case, the socially awkward Usaki.

She swallowed, clutching the blond's leg, and stared at Shota's hand. Her fingers tightened in their grip on Usaki's leg. She shifted a little closer to the blond, bringing her a little further away from Shota. Igarashi snorted. "Ain't that cute, Usagi? Someone adores you!"

Usaki glared at him. "That's not my name," he snapped impatiently. Igarashi just laughed at him.

Shota rolled his eyes and ignored their bickering, sitting (2)seiza on the floor. He lowered his hand into his lap. "Alright. You don't have to come near me. But can I have your name?"

Slowly, she nodded. But she didn't say a word. Shota frowned. "Can you speak?" She nodded again. "I won't hurt you; I promise," he said worriedly. Was she hurt?

Igarashi sighed and crouched on her other side, head tilted. Her head snapped around, wide eyes focused on him as he dug in his pocket for something. After a moment, he pulled out a box of (3)Pocky. "Want one?" he asked, pulling one out and letting it hang out of his mouth by the tip of the chocolate end. He pulled out another and offered it to her.

Her grip on Usaki's leg tightened as she eyed the treat. After a moment, she gulped and opened her mouth a little. Igarashi's brow quirked, but he slowly put the tip in her mouth. She clamped down on it and inched away from him, half hiding behind Usaki's leg. Shota smiled a little. She apparently hadn't noticed that this brought her closer to him.

"Hey," he said, and her head jerked back around, staring at him. "Your name?"

She just stared at him. Finally, Usaki cleared his throat. "Please?" he asked uncertainly.

Her wide brown eyes lifted to stare at him. He tried not to look. Igarashi snickered. Finally - _finally!_ - she let go of Usaki's pants, if only with one hand. The dainty hand lifted and pulled the Pocky stick from her mouth. She opened her mouth, closed it, opened it again. Swallowing, she drew in a shaky breath and mumbled something.

Shota's brows furrowed. "Sweety, I can't hear you," he said gently.

She gulped. "A-Ama-Amaya," she stuttered, a little more loudly, then buried her face in Usaki's legs again. She went back to clutching his pants with both hands, getting some of the half-melted chocolate from the Pocky stick onto the dark fabric.

Shota grinned. "There! That wasn't so hard, right?" he asked jovially.

Little Amaya nodded, but didn't pull her face away from Usaki's legs. Igarashi grinned at the blond, who glowered almost hatefully back. Shota sighed at their antics and poked her shoulder gently. "Hey, Amaya-chan? This guy you're hanging on... His name's Usagi-"

"Usaki," the blond corrected immediately.

"_Usagi_," Shota said firmly, shooting him a look. "Anyway. He's a little uncomfortable with you holding him like that. How about you let go-" She immediately gulped and shook her head frantically. "Okay. Don't let go. How about you hold his hand? 'Cause we have to leave this room and go outside, but we can't with you holding him like that, okay?"

She peeked at him, and after a thoughtful moment, she nodded hesitantly. Usaki breathed a sigh of relief and held his hand out. She instantly latched onto it for dear life, almost jerking him downward. He made a face, forcing a laugh out of Igarashi, and Shota slowly got to his feet. "Okay, Amaya-chan. We're gonna go outside now. You're coming with us, right?" She nodded. "Okay." He looked at Usaki. "C'mon, _Usagi_," he said pointedly.

"U... sagi?" she murmured, staring up at the blond.

Usaki grimaced and then glowered at his captain, who grinned at him. "... Yes, Amaya-san. Usagi," he grumbled resignedly.

She nodded and lowered her face, staring shyly at the ground. Shota smiled gently and patted her head. "(4)Ikuso, ne?"

xXx

Seiju sighed as he leaned back against the van, a little annoyed. How could he slip up so badly? He didn't even pay attention to his surroundings, and because of that... a little girl saw him kill a man. His fingers curled into fists and he jumped when a hand grabbed his wrist. He blinked at the intelligence guy (what was his name again?). "Ah... Yes?"

The redhead smiled. "Yeah, we checked out that girl they're talking to in there. She's been missing for three months. Her mother kidnapped her and ran away with her during a bad divorce, but she turned up dead three weeks ago. Her killer was some serial killer on the loose at the time."

Seiju frowned. "And no one thought to look for the missing daughter?" he demanded angrily. "There is _no_ excuse for that kind of negligence!"

The intelligence guy coughed. "I'm sorry, sir. It was the fifth brigade that caught the killer. We had nothing to do with it, so... ah, please don't get onto me about it."

Seiju sighed and shook his head. "You're right. I'm sorry." He frowned. That poor girl had been surviving on her own for at least three weeks. It was a miracle she was still alive.

The redhead patted his shoulder. "Sir, you couldn't have known she was in that closet," he said wisely, cutting right to the heart of the matter. With that, he excused himself and disappeared back into the van, just as Shota, Usaki and Igarashi came out, the little girl clinging to Usaki's hand like it was a life-line.

Seiju remained as still as possible while they approached. He didn't want to upset her more... A few feet away, she noticed him and froze, forcing Usaki to stop. Usaki blinked, looked at her, looked at him and shook his head. Awkwardly, he knelt beside her.

"Amaya-san," he said carefully. He jerked his head toward Seiju, who stiffened. "Does he scare you?" She nodded, trembling. "Why? He looks a little wimpy to me." Seiju frowned slightly, insulted. He did not look wimpy!

She blinked and looked at Usaki. "U... Usagi-kun?"

Usaki patted her head. "Look at him. Doesn't he look like a girl?"

Seiju scowled at Usaki, who ignored him, but the girl looked at the brunet thoughtfully. Then she nodded. Usaki snorted. "You think such a girly, wimpy-looking guy would hurt you? He's sensitive. In fact, I'm probably hurting his feelings by telling you this. He won't hurt you."

Understanding dawned on the vice-captain and he effected a properly insulted and pained expression. Shota covered his mouth and turned away, his shoulders shaking with silent laughter. Amaya looked at Seiju wide-eyed. "B... but... He..."

Usaki sighed. "He hurt that man, you mean?" She nodded. Usaki shrugged. "He was a very, very bad man. He hurt a lot of people, and made a lot of people very sad, Amaya-san. Vice captain Shikibu, him," he gestured in Seiju's direction, "Did that so he could keep him from ever hurting another person."

She looked at Seiju. "... like a super hero?" she asked hesitantly.

Shota started coughing in his effort to reign in his laughter. Seiju glowered at him. Usaki ignored them as he nodded. "Just like."

"... oh." Hesitantly, she took a step toward Seiju, clutching Usaki's arm as she obviously gathered her courage. She gulped. "Sh... Shiki... Shikibu?" Seiju nodded, holding his breath. She gulped again and reached out, grabbing his hand. Everyone was watching as she tugged and he obediently knelt. Boldly, she patted his head. "Usagi-kun didn't mean it, right?" she asked, looking at Usaki. She looked back when he didn't reply, smiling uncertainly at Seiju. "You're pretty. Pretty's good."

Shota could no longer control himself and burst out laughing, slapping his thighs as he nearly fell over with the booming, body-shaking mirth. Amaya's eyes widened and she looked at him, shocked. Seiju threw a rock at him. "Oi! Don't scare her!" he snapped, annoyed.

Shota grinned at them. "You're so pretty, Sei," he teased.

Seiju briefly debated killing the fool and then running away. He shook the thought away and stomped moodily into the van, Shota following behind, still laughing. Once they were gone, Amaya looked up at Usaki.

"Usagi-kun... what's so funny?"

He sighed. "Nothing. Don't worry."

xXx

**1: Hogosha: guardian, protector, patron**

**2: Seiza: a way Japanese people often sit. The toes touch and you rest your bum on the insides of your feet.**

**3: Pocky: a chocolate-covered biscuit stick made in Japan. You can find them at Wal-Mart (hint hint) in the Asian food aisle**

**4: Ikuso: Let's go, time to go, etc.**

**For the record, Sei IS pretty. He's very pretty. And pretty is very good. I agree with Amaya. *biased***


	2. Sins of the Father

**Hogosha**

**Chapter 2**

**Sins of the Father**

Usaki was the one elected to bring her back to her father's house, since she'd panicked when Shota tried to take her without him, and they'd needed at least two members on their current mission. The ride to the small - by this city's standards, anyway - apartment complex was silent, for the most part.

Finally, the taxi pulled up to the curb and they got out. She stared up at the complex, suddenly gripping Usaki's hand all the tighter. "... t-tosan...?" she whispered.

He frowned at the reaction but nodded. "Yes. Since your mother is... unable to care for you, you'll live with your father."

She pulled away from him, abruptly dropping his hand. "No..." She backed up, bumping into the taxi.

Usaki frowned even more and reached out, but she yelped and toppled back into the open taxi door. He blinked, even as a voice called out. "Is that my little girl?"

A man that resembled Amaya quite a bit came out, a relieved grin on his face. "Maya! I've missed you, baby!" he said, stopping beside Usaki to reach into the cab.

She whimpered and curled up into a ball on the floor in front of the seats, inching as far back from the reaching hand as she could. Usaki eyed the stocky, well-built man. With a sigh, he placed a restraining hand on the hurt-looking man's shoulder. "Give me a moment," he suggested, before going around.

The man nodded and stepped back. Amaya darted into Usaki's arms as soon as he opened the other door, trembling in terror. His eyes narrowed. "Amaya-san?"

"D-don't make me," she whispered so softly that he had to strain to hear it. "Please, please don't make me. Mommy got me away. Don't make me. Please, please, please..." Her muttering degenerated into that one word, broken only by tearful sobs.

Usaki looked up at the man, face doll-blank. "She doesn't appear to want to be here," he commented carefully.

The man's mouth thinned, but he sighed. "Her mother's put ideas into her head. I made the mistake of... of getting angry and hitting Emiko. Just once. It didn't happen again, but she flew off the handle." He shook his head. "Started putting ideas into Maya's head, making her scared of me. And then, when I was sick of it and brought the divorce papers home, she signed them and took off with Maya." His expression softened sadly. "I... I haven't seen her in so long..."

Usaki surveyed him for a moment. There was just something... He wasn't sure, but something about the man seemed... false. Fake. Like he was a performer on a stage, except this wasn't a stage. It was real life, and this little girl was honestly terrified of him. "Well, I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to bring her back. Until she's at a point where she feels safe coming back here, I can't allow her to stay," Usaki decided, standing up with her clasped in his arms.

The man's expression hardened. "You can't do that. She's _my_ little girl, damn you! Give her back."

He made a move to step around the taxi and Usaki's expression went carefully blank. He set Amaya down, putting himself between she and her approaching father. "I cannot allow it if she is afraid," Usaki replied.

"I don't care! Gimme my girl!" the man shouted, getting in his face. He reached around Usaki to grab her, but she pulled out of reach, getting into the taxi and closing the door. She locked it, and her father growled. "Maya! You little..." He spun and ran around the car, just as she closed the door.

Usaki slipped into the front seat. "Drive," he ordered the wide-eyed driver. The father was shouting and banging on the window. It cracked. Amaya screamed. The cab driver hit the gas, leaving the furious father behind. With a grim look, Usaki pulled out his cellphone and hit redial.

_Ring, ring, ring, rin-_

_"Hello?_"

xXx

Shota sighed, yawning. "Well, now that _that's_ taken care of," he said dryly to Seiju, who chuckled. Their victim lay on the ground, a bullet-hole in his head.

_Deedeedee deee deee dee dee._

"That's you, I think," said his vice captain as the cell phone ringer interrupted the silence.

Shota nodded, fishing the small black flip phone out of his pocket. He frowned at the number. "What does _he_ want?"

"Who?" Seiju lifted a brow.

"Usagi." Shota flipped the phone open. "Hello?"

_"Captain. I am on my way back to headquarters._" A pause, filled with soft static. "_**With**_ _Amaya."_

Something uncomfortable twisted in Shota's stomach. "What? Why? Was her father not at home?"

Seiju frowned at the tone in Shota's voice. "Amaya?"

Shota held up a finger, nodding. On the other end, Usaki answered him with a curt, "_He was._"

Shota's eyes narrowed. "Explain yourself, Usaki."

"_She's terrified of him._"

Seiju lifted a brow when Shota stiffened, but didn't comment. Shota scowled. "We'll meet you at headquarters."

_"Yes, sir._" He hung up.

"Well?" Seiju asked impatiently as Shota stuffed his cell in his pocket.

Shota sighed and turned toward the car. "C'mon. I'll explain what I know on the way."

xXx

Seiju glanced around as they stepped into the lobby at headquarters. He caught sight of Usaki at the soda and snack machines, getting Amaya - who still clung to him, this time his arm - a Snickers. He slumped in relief. Both appeared to be unharmed.

"OI! Usagi!" Shota called from beside him as they trotted over.

Amaya spun, stiff, but when she realized who they were, she relaxed. She dropped the Snickers bar and grabbed Shota's waist in a hug, burying her face in his stomach. Shota's face hardened. "What happened, Usaki?" he demanded while Seiju patted her head.

Usaki quickly explained, Seiju paling a little more with each word. "Oh, my... Are you alright? Did he attack you?"

Usaki shook his head. "No. He tried to take her by force, but she got in the taxi and locked the doors. We left as soon as we were able; he didn't hurt anyone."

Sei nodded and knelt beside her where she was clutching at Shota. "How do you feel, sweety?" he asked gently.

She whimpered softly and ducked behind Shota's legs, as if trying to hide from the world. Sei sighed and patted her still visible hand before standing. "_Now_ what do we do?" he asked, at a bit of a loss.

Shota pinched the bridge of his nose and opened his mouth, but the doors flew open right at that moment, Amaya's father storming through. He caught sight of them and stomped over. "Give me my daughter _now_," he snapped furiously.

Shota felt her trembling against his legs and leveled the man with a look. "What did you do to her?"

The man blinked. "Nothing! I already told the brat that I didn't do a thing! Her mother-"

"I don't want to hear about her mother, sir. I want to hear about you. Things her mother said wouldn't have made her this afraid of _you_."

"Captain Mikoshiba, what is going on in my building?" Mikami demanded, walking swiftly toward them.

Immediately, Amaya's father turned toward him. "They won't let me have my daughter!"

Mikami frowned and looked at the child. She was cowering behind Shota's legs, terrified out of her wits. "Is that so, Mikoshiba?"

"Sir, she's _terrified_ of this man-"

"He hurt her."

The whisper was soft, more of a whimper than anything. However, it was enough to make Amaya's father tense, eyes widening. Amaya trembled, likely regretting speaking up. The man glowered at her. Mikami made his decision. "Sir, for now, we'll have to put your daughter in protective custody, until such a time as you have been declared a fit parent by a psychologist and child services."

He was very still for a long moment, and the first brigade all held their breaths. Finally, though, he nodded jerkily and turned around. "Fine. Make sure she eats."

The Tokkei all released a collective breath and Mikami sighed before rounding on them. "And you three!" They tensed, wide-eyed. "If I get a law-suit out of this, it's coming out of your pay checks," he snapped angrily.

Shota smiled gratefully. "Thank you."

"Tch." Mikami turned away and stalked off.

Seiju looked down at Amaya. "So... What're we going to do with her?"

**Thanks for being so patient! I'm posting this in honor of my upcoming birthday on Sunday! I will hopefully be posting again soon, since I have at least another chapter's worth of story written.**

**Review, please!**


	3. Abandoned and Alone

**Hogosha**

**Chapter 3**

**Abandoned and Alone**

Seiju glanced around as they stepped into the lobby at headquarters. He caught sight of Usaki at the soda and snack machines, getting Amaya - who still clung to him, this time his arm - a Snickers. He slumped in relief. Both appeared to be unharmed.

"OI! Usagi!" Shota called from beside him as they trotted over.

Amaya spun, stiff, but when she realized who they were, she relaxed. She dropped the Snickers bar and grabbed Shota's waist in a hug, burying her face in his stomach. Shota's face hardened. "What happened, Usaki?" he demanded while Seiju patted her head.

Usaki quickly explained, Seiju paling a little more with each word. "Oh, my... Are you alright? Did he attack you?"

Usaki shook his head. "No. He tried to take her by force, but she got in the taxi and locked the doors. We left as soon as we were able; he didn't hurt anyone."

Sei nodded and knelt beside her where she was clutching at Shota. "How do you feel, sweety?" he asked gently.

She whimpered softly and ducked behind Shota's legs, as if trying to hide from the world. Sei sighed and patted her still visible hand before standing. "_Now_ what do we do?" he asked, at a bit of a loss.

Shota pinched the bridge of his nose and opened his mouth, but the doors flew open right at that moment, Amaya's father storming through. He caught sight of them and stomped over. "Give me my daughter _now_," he snapped furiously.

Shota felt her trembling against his legs and leveled the man with a look. "What did you do to her?"

The man blinked. "Nothing! I already told the brat that I didn't do a thing! Her mother-"

"I don't want to hear about her mother, sir. I want to hear about you. Things her mother said wouldn't have made her this afraid of _you_."

"Captain Mikoshiba, what is going on in my building?" Mikami demanded, walking swiftly toward them.

Immediately, Amaya's father turned toward him. "They won't let me have my daughter!"

Mikami frowned and looked at the child. She was cowering behind Shota's legs, terrified out of her wits. "Is that so, Mikoshiba?"

"Sir, she's _terrified_ of this man-"

"He hurt her."

The whisper was soft, more of a whimper than anything. However, it was enough to make Amaya's father tense, eyes widening. Amaya trembled, likely regretting speaking up. The man glowered at her. Mikami made his decision. "Sir, for now, we'll have to put your daughter in protective custody, until such a time as you have been declared a fit parent by a psychologist and child services."

He was very still for a long moment, and the first brigade all held their breaths. Finally, though, he nodded jerkily and turned around. "Fine. Make sure she eats."

The Tokkei all released a collective breath and Mikami sighed before rounding on them. "And you three!" They tensed, wide-eyed. "If I get a law-suit out of this, it's coming out of your pay checks," he snapped angrily.

Shota smiled gratefully. "Thank you."

"Tch." Mikami turned away and stalked off.

Seiju looked down at Amaya. "So... What're we going to do with her?"

xXx

Seiju looked up at the stark, tidy building that housed the local police headquarters. There were people coming in and out, and just his mere presence - decked out in full Tokkei uniform - was attracting a crowd. His sighed in exasperation and clutched the manilla folder tighter.

"Here goes," he muttered, and walked inside.

The secretary behind the desk looked up with a smile, but upon seeing just _who_ he was, her smile vanished. "Can I help you?" she demanded stiffly.

Seiju stopped before her and smiled (though she probably couldn't tell). "May I speak with superintendent Hasui?" he asked politely.

The woman sniffed in distaste. "I'll see if he's in," she said, picking up a phone. After a moment, she set it down and frowned at him. "He'll be right out."

As if on cue, the door connecting the lobby to the rest of the building burst open and Shota's wide-eyed friend peered at Seiju in shock. "Why are you here?" he asked, unsure what was going on.

Seiju lifted the folder. "We have a case to give you. There's no executions involved - yet - so it's being handed over to your people, under orders of superintendent Mikami and the captain of the fourty seven brigades."

Hasui cautiously took the folder and opened it, scanning the contents. He sighed and shook his head. "And Yamajiro Amaya?"

"She's being brought to a special Tokkei child safe-house," Seiju reported. "The address is on a slip of paper in the folder. For her safety, the captain would like it if only you read it, and destroyed it immediately afterward."

Hasui swallowed. "I... I think I can manage," he said guardedly. Almost as if he were sure Seiju would suddenly take the folder back.

Seiju only smiled, though. "We'll contact you if anything changes with her," he promised, patting the older male's shoulder. "Ja ne!"

"Wait!"

He turned back, blinking. "Ah... Yes?"

Hasui shifted, looking uncertain. "Why don't you just turn her over?"

Seiju smiled. "The first brigade has taken special interest in her protection," he replied vaguely. With a wave, he left, leaving Hasui behind... wondering if the Tokkei were his enemy, or his ally.

xXx

Amaya stared around the livingroom of the safe-house with distrust, almost expecting her father to pop up at any moment and take her away. They told her she was safe here... She wasn't so sure.

She was safe with Usagi-kun and Shota-kun (and Shojo-kun, she thought, though he might suddenly decide she was bad and hurt her). But here... Here, she didn't have any of them (even if it was Shojo-kun, she was certain that would be better than none of them at all). She was alone, and every creak and sputter of the house set her to jerky, nervous movements as she'd spin to see what had made the sound.

One of the three guards of the house (two of them male, the other female) seemed to notice this and made his way to her side. "Amaya-chan?" he said, kneeling beside her. He pulled out a closed box of Pocky. "Igarashi-san said you like these?"

Amaya nodded mutely, afraid that if she spoke, he'd suddenly turn out to be her father.

He reached out and took her hand gently, placing the box in it. "Here. Eat them whenever you want."

She stared at him with wide eyes. He chuckled and patted her head. "Do you wanna watch tv?" She shook her head. "No? Um... We have puzzles." Another shake. "Huh. A game? No? What do you wanna do, Amaya-chan?"

She shifted uncomfortably, clasping the box of sweets to her chest with both hands. Her eyes lowered as she scuffed at the floor with the toe of one black, laced boot (Shojo-kun got them for her; she really thought he had to be a girl, since only a girl would see how pretty they were and think to give them to her). "... I'm tired," she mumbled.

He seemed surprised by this. "Yeah? You wanna take a nap?"

Amaya debated that. She didn't really like naps, but... Maybe she could be alone... Or, maybe, if she asked, they'd let her go back to Usagi-kun and Shota-kun... "U-Usagi... kun," she stammered, lowering her eyes again. (_Don't look adults in the eye. They hurt you, if you do..._)

The man sighed and gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "Todo-san is busy, Amaya-chan. He brought you here so you could be safe. You wanna be safe, right?"

She gulped and nodded, shoulders slumping. They wouldn't let her see him... "Tired," she mumbled.

"Okay, I'll show you to your room," he said, smiling. "By the way... I'm Tamaki, okay?"

She nodded, not really listening anymore. He lead her to a room, explained that it was all her's and no one could come in if she told them no. He said that when she woke up, she could come out and they'd find a movie to watch. Then he left her alone, and she flopped down on the bed, closing her eyes and falling asleep.

xXx

Achizoso Tamaki grimaced as he sat down in the livingroom, next to Miyo (no one knew her real name; she just went by Miyo). "Where's Takashi?" he asked with a yawn.

"Walking around the block," she replied with a shrug. "Poor kid. I can't believe she's so scared of her own father. What could that bastard have done to her to break that trust?"

It was a rhetorical question, so Tamaki just shrugged. He knew what she meant, though. A child's trust in their parents was nearly impossible to break at this age. It would take a lot of abuse and torture to do it. Meaning that, whatever it was that the bastard had done to Amaya, it had to have been horrible.

His fingers curled into fists. "Dammit."

Miyo looked at him, gaze questioning, but one look at his face and she understood. "Yeah. I'm glad the Tokkei had enough sense to get her out of there."

"Of course they did."

She frowned. "You know very well that not many of them would have pulled her out. They would have just left her with her father."

He nodded. "Yeah. Unfortunately. Good thing Mikoshiba is so obsessed with not being a doll."

"Yeah..."

They fell silent, and a moment later, they heard a soft cry from Amaya's room. Both were on their feet in an instant, making their way down the hall. Miyo pushed the door open. "Amaya-chan?" she said, entering.

The little girl started to wakefulness, sitting up straight. Her eyes were wide as she stared at them. Tamaki walked past Miyo and sat beside Amaya on the bed. "Hey. You okay, sweety?" he asked worriedly.

Slowly, she nodded, eyeing him warily. He relaxed. "A nightmare?" Another nod. "What can I do for you?"

"Usagi-kun," she replied, small hands clutching at her blankets so hard that her knuckles turned white.

He and Miyo exchanged a look before Miyo cautiously began to explain. "Sweety, I'm sorry, but we-"

Suddenly, lightening flashed outside the window, thunder following immediately as it started to rain. Amaya screamed and darted to the closet, slamming the door closed behind her. They could just here a steady chant (whimpers, to be precise) of, "Usagi-kun, Usagi-kun, Usagi-kun..."

Miyo and Tamaki exchanged another wide-eyed look. She stood. "I'll be right back," she said decisively.

xXx

Usaki groaned and rolled over, the insistent ringing of his phone shrill enough to rouse him from sleep. He glowered at the clock, glowing red letters proclaiming, "3:12". The light that indicated PM was dark. He sighed and snatched up his phone, clicking 'call' without looking at the ID.

"Usaki," he said by way of greeting. His voice came out hoarse and rough with sleep so he cleared his throat as the person started talking.

"_Todo Usaki?_" a female voice asked, a tinge of worry to her tone.

He nodded sleepily, then realized he was on the phone and thus she couldn't see it, so he vocalized his assent with a grunt. There was a relieved sigh. "_Oh, thank the gods. This is Hanabi Miyonishi at the child-safe shelter? Amaya-chan's been having nightmares. She woke up and locked herself in the closet. She won't come out for anything._" This was followed by a pregnant, hesitant pause. "_She keeps saying your name..._"

Usaki was fully awake now, reaching for his pants. "I'll be there in twenty minutes," he said, then hung up so he could use both hands, not caring that he'd been rude by hanging up on her.

**Thanks for reading! Please review.**


	4. Sitting in the Dark

**Hogosha**

**Chapter 4**

**Sitting in the Dark**

"**Flatter me, and I may not believe you. Criticize me, and I may not like you. Ignore me, and I may not forgive you. Encourage me, and I may not forget you."**

**-William Arthur**

Tamaki sighed. "Amaya-chan? Please come out..."

She either didn't hear him or ignored him, having fallen silent by this point. She stayed in the closet, likely holding it closed. Miyo chose that moment to walk back in, looking relieved. "He's on his way. He said twenty minutes," she said. She glanced at her watch. "About fifteen now."

Tamaki nodded, relieved himself. "Good. Hey, Amaya? Usaki-san's on his way..."

"_Usagi_," came the soft correction. But she didn't come out.

He sighed. "Amaya-chan, you really should come out..." She didn't answer.

Miyo squeezed his shoulder. "It's fine. Todo-san will be here soon," she said. They fell silent.

Ten minutes later, Takashi showed Usaki in and he went right to the closet, knocking softly on the door. "Amaya-san?" he asked.

Instantly, the door was shoved aside and she threw her arms around his waist, crying into the fabric of his pants. "Usagi-kun!" she whimpered. "He's gonna come. I know it. He'll come," she whispered tearfully.

He pushed her back a little and knelt. "I won't let him hurt you, Amaya-san," he promised softly, voice fierce. "I promise."

She sniffled, staring up at him. "... but you can't," she mumbled sadly, starting to cry all the more.

His fingers on her shoulder tensed, though he didn't tighten his grip. "I will," he said firmly, standing. He turned to the others. "I'll be taking her with me. Call the police officer we left the number for and inform him of the change."

Tamaki stiffened. "But Todo-sama-!"

Miyo interrupted him, bowing. "Yes, sir," she said. "Thank you for dealing with the situation swiftly."

Usaki nodded. "Thank you for telling me." He paused. "Did you call anyone else?"

"Yes, sir," she said. "Shikibu-fukutaicho and Mikoshiba-taicho both asked to be informed. Mikoshiba-taicho didn't answer, so I left a message on his machine."

Usaki's lips twitched. He probably had his phone off because of Hasui. "Thank you." He lead Amaya out of the room and down the hall, pausing only long enough to gather her jacket (Seiju had insisted on taking her shopping earlier, as part of his 'atonement' for letting her watch as he killed a criminal, even if he hadn't known she was there) before they were out of the house.

Miyo watched them go, then sighed. It was for the best, she decided.

xXx

Seiju sighed softly, sitting around with nothing in particular to do. Half of him wanted to believe Amaya, and half of him wondered if her accusations weren't a misunderstanding or the works of a child's over active imagination. It just didn't seem to fit. But the way the man had reacted...

Sighing, he glanced at the clock. 3:45. The vice captain groaned and dropped his head back against the headrest of the drivers seat. Time was going by so slowly!

"Mou... No fair," he grumbled, glancing at the house as the livingroom light clicked on for the third time in a row. Fifteen minutes later, it clicked off again and he lost interest. He glanced at the clock again. 4:00.

Suddenly, he froze, searching his mind for the time that the livingroom light had gone on last. If he remembered right, it had be 2:30 exactly. There were five rooms in that house, where Amaya's father lived. Five rooms, five intervals of fifteen minutes since the livingroom had been lit. Even as he was thinking this, the kitchen light was on, just as it had been clicked on at 2:45 earlier.

A chill swept down his spine and he turned on his headset, already climbing from the car with his gun in hand. "Kenshin? Are you there?" he asked, darting across the street.

There was a brief pause before their Intelligence Deptartment leader spoke. "_Yes, fukutaicho. I'm here. What's going on?_"

"The lights are on a timer. I need you to notify Shota-kun and Usaki-kun that Amaya needs to be checked on immediately," Seiju ordered, using the voice he usually did when he didn't want arguments.

"_Yes sir,_" Kenshin agreed instantly. There was another pause, in which Seiju came up the steps and hesitated. "_You have permission to enter. I have a man on contacting the others, though Captain Mikoshiba does not appear to be answering._"

Seiju swallowed a curse. "And Usaki?"

"_No. We got a message machine on both._"

Seiju banged on the door. "That's not good," he decided, heart thudding quickly in his chest. He shifted his feet and banged on the door again. "Yamajiro-san! Please open the door!" he called.

Nothing. Seiju made a face, took a deep breath and slammed his shoulder into the door. Once, twice, and he was through, the door banging open. The young man darted inside, glancing around the semi-dark entrance hall. It was neat, considering that the man lived alone.

"_We contacted the shelter. Amaya is with Usaki-san. She was having nightmares, so he picked her up,_" Kenshin said in his ear.

Such good news couldn't have come at a better time. Seiju thanked his lucky stars for the girl's attachment to his partner, even as he ducked his head into the livingroom, then the kitchen. Above his head, the kitchen light shut off, confirming his suspicions. It was definitely a timer.

Ahead of him, the light for the hall, leading to the two bedrooms, flickered to life. Quickly, Seiju ran down the hall and searched the rooms. There was also a bathroom, but the light for that came on with the hallway. He actually swore this time. "He's not here."

"_I can see that,_" Kenshin replied, as he had turned on the little used cam attached to Seiju's mic. "_We're trying to call Usaki-san's cellphone, but it's going straight to voice-mail- ah! We got the captain._"

Seiju sighed, feeling years older than he really should. "Good. I'm heading back to the car and over to Usaki-kun's. He should be heading there. Tell the captain."

"_Got it,_" Kenshin agreed.

Seiju left the house, not bothering with the door, and got into his car. He needed to get to Amaya.

Gods only hoped that Usaki would be able to protect her from her own father. At least until help arrived.

xXx

Amaya held Usaki's hand the entire way back to his apartment complex. She stared out the window, sniffling. "Do you have a cold?" Usaki asked, looking at her briefly before switching his eyes back to road again.

The little brunette shook her head, squeezing his hand tighter. To her chest, she clutched the unopened box of Pocky like a lifeline, almost as if she expected someone to try and take it away. Usaki sighed, giving her hand a gentle squeeze back. He sort of understood now why Seiju had been so intent on helping Kei-kun way back when. Amaya was so tiny, so helpless... She needed him. More than that, she wanted him to help her.

Him. Cold, practical, doll-like Usaki "Usagi" Todo. She didn't want sweet, friendly Sei's help, or wants-to-help-everyone Shota. She wanted him.

He was a little stuck on that.

"Usagi-kun?" she mumbled, staring up at him.

He looked down at her, then back at the road. "Yeah?" She didn't say anything, so he just shrugged. "We're almost there, Amaya-san."

"Kay," she mumbled.

**Fourth chapter! Woot. Anyway, thanks again to my nemesis I Agree for being so supportive and reviewing. It means a lot.**

**Also, if you're wondering about the quote... It's referring to Amaya. Think about it. ^^ From here on, I'll try to add a quote at the beginning.**


	5. Choices

**Hogosha**

**Chapter 5**

**Choices**

"**Waiting is a trap. There will always be reasons to wait. The truth is, there are only two things in life, reasons and results, and reasons simply don't count."**

**-Dr. Robert Anthony**

Shota was finally woken up when Tamao started banging on his door, complaining about how his phone had been ringing off the hook all night. Shota frowned and checked his pocket. It wasn't there. Meaning stupid Tamao had swiped it.

Again.

Growling, he rolled out of bed and onto his feet, shuffling to the door and pulling it open. He snatched the cell out of his friend's hand and put it to his ear. "Hello?" he said, voice rough with sleep.

"_Taicho!_" a familiar voice cried on the other end in relief. "_Sir! You're needed. The lights in Yamajiro Kimino's home were on a timer. Shikibu-fukutaicho realized this twenty minutes ago and contacted us. He's just left the house after checking it for Yamajiro. Yamajiro was not present._"

Shota swore, ignoring his roommate's curious expression, and turned to get his pants. "What else?" he demanded, after turning back to shut his door in Tamao's face. "What about the status on you know who?" he added, lowering his voice. Just then, he distantly heard the sound of Tamao's cell phone going off. _Not bad. Only twenty minutes behind us..._

"_Amaya-san is with Usaki-san. She was having nightmares and he picked her up._"

Shota paused at that. Usaki had? Really? "Seriously?" he said out loud.

There was a beat of silence that passed before the man on the other end ignored his question completely and continued with his report, likely irritated with Shota's disbelief. "According to Shikibu-fukutaicho, he should be on the way to his apartment. Shikibu-fukutaicho would like to impart to you that he is heading there now and you need to meet him there."

Shota's brow twitched. That little... presuming to give him orders... grrr... Shaking his head, he grunted an affirmative, excused himself and hung up on the man. Of course, trying to do three things at once wasn't good for his coordination.

He tripped and fell.

"GODDAMMIT!"

xXx

Usaki went around his car and pulled open the door on the passenger's side, reaching up to help Amaya out. He set her down on her feet on the asphalt parking lot, reaching into the car again for her things. "Do you want to carry them, or should I?" he asked calmly, holding out a hand for her to take.

"... you can," she mumbled, taking his hand and glancing nervously about.

He sighed and nodded. "Don't worry, Amaya-san," he reassured her. "I'll protect you."

Brown eyes lifted to study his face solemnly. She nodded. "I know, Usagi-kun," she replied.

The blond nodded back and led her into the apartment building. "I live on the fifth floor," he explained as they approached the elevator. Normally, his inherent paranoia forced him toward the stairs, but ten sets of eight steps each was quite a lot for a six year old. So, against his instincts, he was using the elevator.

Amaya looked up at the ceiling. "Fifth floor? Five?" she asked softly.

He nodded. "Yes." The elevator doors opened with a soft chime and he ushered her inside. He pressed the button for '5' and waited as the doors slid shut.

Ground floor... Floor 2...

"Oh," she mumbled.

Floor 3...

Suddenly, the lights cut out and the elevator froze in place with a jarring rumble. Usaki's eyes widened and he looked up at the floor indicator near the ceiling of the elevator. They were stuck between floors four and five. So close, yet so far.

Beside him, Amaya clung to his leg, whimpering pitifully as her fingers dug into the fabric of his jeans. He gently pried her loose and pushed her away, kneeling and pulling her into a hug. "I _will_ protect you," he promised softly, reaching with one hand into his pocket...

But his cellphone wasn't there. _Dammit_! He'd left the apartment in such a hurry, it was probably still sitting there on his bed stand, right along with his wallet and mic. And he didn't even have his beeper with him... Grumbling under his breath, he reached down and shifted the bottom of his right shoe, pushing it down half an inch so that there was a gap showing, a hidden compartment. He reached into the compartment with one finger and pressed the button of the tracking device there.

He could only sit and wait now.

xXx

He was furious. Hell, beyond furious. There were no words to accurately describe how pissed he was. No one could find out about it. No one could find out that he'd killed her. No one. And if that meant that Maya had to die...

Then so be it.

Kimino smirked as he reached the breaker. That girly simpleton who'd been watching his house had no idea. Now he had the time he needed to get this little problem out of the way.

He grabbed the switch and pulled it down, then used a pair of wire cutters to make sure that they wouldn't be able to return lighting very soon. Time to find that kid and Maya. Time to make her shut up.

For good.

xXx

Seiju arrived at about the same time as Shota. He was already climbing out of his silver Sedan when Shota pulled into the apartment complex's parking lot in his black truck. They met up en route to the door. "Any word from Usagi-kun?" Seiju asked worriedly.

"No," Shota replied, pulling out his gun. "There were complaints about a power outage, though. Kenshin picked that up, so it's likely that Yamajiro cut the power." He pushed the door open, entering first. They glanced around, guards up, but nothing moved in the darkened apartment complex.

Seiju responded in a low voice, avoiding syllables that would carry. "Todo up?" He pointed toward the ceiling. "Floor five."

Shota nodded as they kept to the shadows. "Yeah." He tapped his mic on. "Ken," he said. "Todo. Where?"

Kenshin snorted. "No 's', huh? Okay then." Following was the soft clack of fingers on the keys of a keyboard. A pause, then, "... the elevator shaft, but he's not moving. He activated his tracking beacon."

"Where on the elevator?" Seiju asked as they turned toward the stairs.

"My information isn't complete enough for me to determine that," Kenshin replied irritably. "So you're on your own there. Be careful. Since the power is cut, I have no access to the building's cameras, and the ones in Usaki-san's room are useless, since he isn't in there. I can't be your eyes."

Shota frowned, but nodded. "Under- yeah. Okay," he said.

They darted up the stairs quickly and silently, avoiding stepping into direct moonlight cast from the windows in the stair-case. Soon enough, they reached the fourth flood and Shota stopped, motioning for Seiju. His vice captain lifted a brow, watching him intently, though he didn't dare say a word. Shota gestured toward Seiju, then up. He tapped his own chest and jerked his thumb toward the fourth floor, then tapped his earphone.

Seiju blinked, then nodded his understanding. They would be splitting up, and if he had to, contact Shota using the mic. Finding Usaki would fall under 'if he had to'. With a thumbs up cast toward his captain, Seiju climbed the stairs and left Shota to deal with the fourth floor. Once he got to the fifth floor entrance, he glanced through the window in the door. Seeing no movement, the younger male opened the door a little and slipped into the fifth floor corridor. He stepped back into the shadows by the door, counting in the slight glare coming through the window to conceal him should Yamajiro be here.

There was nothing. No movement, no sounds. He tapped his headset. "Ken," he said, voice barely a breath, though he knew the mic would pic it up and turn it into text on Kenshin's computer. "Where are elevator?"

"_Halfway down the hall is a turn. Go all the way down that and you'll find the elevators at the back of that hall_," Kenshin replied instantly. "_Same goes for fourth floor, captain. It's an identical floor plan for every level._"

There was no audible answer, though Kenshin snorted. "Yeah, yeah, radio silence. Geez. Nazi."

Seiju gave a fleeting smile before taking off silently down the hall, pausing briefly in each deep shadow in order to look for any movement. He searched his surroundings... and never even heard the figure coming up behind him.

xXx

Shota frowned as he started moving down the hallway, only to hear Kenshin on the mic, speaking to Seiju. "..._halfway down the hall is a turn. Go all the way down that and you'll find the elevators at the back of that hall. Same goes for fourth floor, captain. It's an identical floor plan for every level._"

Shota twitched, quickly locating the hall Kenshin had mentioned. He spoke softly, reprimanding the other man. "Ken, quiet. Order from Captain."

Kenshin sounded amused as he replied, "_Yeah, yeah, radio silence. Geez. Nazi._"

Shota opened his mouth to complain that he was _not_ a Nazi, then remembered that he should set an example. He closed his mouth again, vowing to get Kenshin later for being a disrespectful ass. Shaking his head, he turned into the elevator hall.

He hadn't taken three steps when he heard a loud, disturbing _crack_. He froze. "Ken?"

"_Not me. Seiju, report_," Ken ordered.

Static.

"_Shikibu fukutaicho, report._" Nothing.

Then, suddenly, there was the soft sound of breathing, and a whisper. "_The girl or the guy in the elevator... Choose. Look out the window in front of you, Captain._"

Down the hall, there was a thunk. Shota ran down the corridor, abandoning any hope of silence, and stepped up to the window at the end, on the wall. To his left was the elevator... outside the window, Seiju was hanging by his hands, unconscious.

"SHIT!"

There was laughter and a disturbing crack, then no sound at all from Seiju's mic. "He crushed it," Kenshin guessed, sounding pissed and panicky all at once. "Captain... what will we-"

To Shota's left, there was an audible groan, like metal protesting too much weight. Shota's eyes widened. "No..." He _felt_ the blood drain from his face. Was he going to have to make this choice? Was he going to have to choose between his vice captain and Usaki?

"_Captain, retrieve Shikibu_," Kenshin said, his voice calm, collected, emotionless. Dead. "_There's no way you can stop whatever it is Yamajiro's doing with the elevator. However, you _**_can_** _save the vice captain. Do it._"

Shota hesitated.

"_DO IT!_"

Feeling as if he were the most horrible, heartless person on the planet, Shota turned toward the window.

**Cliiiifffyyy! XD I know, I'm horrible. Next chapter is the end of the first arc, but not of the story or the mysteries.**


	6. Closing Curtain

**Hogosha**

**Chapter 6**

**Closing Curtain**

"**If death meant just leaving the stage long enough to change costume and come back as a new character... Would you slow down? Or speed up?"**

**-Chuck Palahniuk**

last time...

Outside the window, Seiju was hanging by his hands, unconscious.

To Shota's left, there was an audible groan, like metal protesting too much weight. His eyes widened. "No..." He _felt_ the blood drain from his face. Was he going to have to make this choice? Was he going to have to choose between his vice captain and Usaki?

"_Captain, retrieve Shikibu_," Kenshin said. "_There's no way you can stop whatever it is Yamajiro's doing with the elevator. However, you __**can**__ save the vice captain. Do it._"

Shota hesitated.

"_DO IT!_"

Shota turned toward the window.

xXx

Yamajiro dropped the wire cutters on the floor and sighed in relief. He pulled out his cellphone and hit redial. It was picked up instantly. "_Ko_?"

"Yeah," Yamajiro said. "What about the Tokkei? You dealt with them, right?"

"_Yeah. He'll go for Amaya, the civilian. He doesn't realize he's helpless to save his little friend in the elevator._"

Yamajiro grinned. "Two down... you just have to deal with him, now. Which one was it?"

"_Eh, dunno. I haven't seen him. But I knocked out the girl and-_"

"Girl?" There was a female Tokkei? Wait... "Long dark hair, boyish?"

"_Uhhh... yeah? I tossed her out the window._"

Yamajiro rolled his eyes. "He's a guy, idiot. Anyway, it doesn't matter. Just kill the captain and-"

"_Uh... he saved the girl- I mean guy._"

"... then _kill_ them!" Yamajiro snapped.

A loud, echoing crash prevented any more comment from his idiotic partner. Yamajiro smiled, his muscles untensing. "I'll be waiting," he lied and hung up, then dropped the phone on the floor and crushed it underneath his boot. Time to leave his 'partner' to the proverbial sharks.

The elevator had fallen, the girl was dead and at least one Tokkei had bit the dust... "It's a great day," he said with a soft giggle.

xXx

Seiju was still unconscious when Shota slipped to the ground with his vice captain safely in his arms. He was in a state of shock. Usaki was dead. Usagi-kun... that kid was... he was... gone, dead. Because Shota had once again failed to save a comrade. Because once again, he'd let him get into danger, not acted quick enough, gotten there quick enough... And now Usagi- Usaki was... was dead...

Seiju groaned softly. "What... happened?" he asked, sitting up. He glanced at Shota in confusion, taking in his captain's blank face. "Sho-kun?" His eyes darted around, and suddenly his memory clicked into place and he grabbed the mic from Shota. "Usagi-kun!" he half-shouted into it. "Where is he? We have to-"

"_...he's gone, fukutaicho_," Kenshin said in his ear, sounding hollow and tired. "_It was either save you, or save no one. We chose to save you. The elevator dropped. Usaki-kun's 'dead-man' signal is pulsing._"

Seiju sat back against the wall, blinking. "Oh," he said, hand dropping from his ear. It wasn't really clicking, though... He tried a tentative smile at Shota. "Sho-kun?"

"Seiju..." Shota climbed to his feet slowly and grabbed the front of his friend's shirt. "He's fucking dead. Usaki... is... dead."

_Click_. Seiju stopped breathing, eyes wide. His captain, fierce, unstoppable Shota, was crying. And... and Usagi-kun was dead. "Dead?" he whispered, like a small child seeking reassurance.

"Yep," a voice said from down the hall. A tall man walked toward them, grinning cockily. It wasn't Yamajiro. "Deader than dead. He's smooshed. Like a fly. Or a pancake." He gave them a grin. "Buried under half a ton of wrecked metal, like trapping a bug in a Coke can and crushing it between your hands."

Seiju's fingers curled into fists. "... you must be an idiot," he said as fury bubbled up in his chest.

"_Uh, capatain_," Kenshin said, sounding surprised.

"Shut up," Shota snapped.

"_But Mikoshiba-_"

Shota reached up to switch off his headset. Then Seiju got to his feet and they advanced on the asshole that had killed Usaki.

Or so they thought.

xXx

Usaki climbed onto the sixth floor from the elevator shaft, Amaya clinging to his back like some sort of koala bear. An incredibly cute, nonfurry and terrified koala bear.

At least they were alive... Shaking his head, he glanced back into the shaft, peering down into the darkness at nothing. He'd _felt_ the elevator fall only minutes ago, and a glance at the ruined base of his shoe attested to the fact. It was a slightly sobering thought to imagine that he should have been in it.

He _really_ hated elevators...

"Usagi-kun?" Amaya murmured when he started messing with the cuff of his sleeve.

He found what he was looking for and switched the back up locater beacon from 'dead body' to 'living'. That done, he gently shifted her on his back so he could reach the gun tucked into the waistband of his jeans. "Yes, Amaya-san?" he asked, letting her hold on by her own strength as he cocked the gun and made sure it was loaded (just in case).

"I'm glad you're here," she said in a small voice. She tightened her arms around his neck, nearly strangling him, but he didn't call her on it.

"... thank you," he said softly. He lowered the gun as he approached the staircase, but did _not_ lower his guard. "Pull open the door?" he asked, mostly as a means to distract her from her fear.

She nodded against his shoulder and reached out, tugging on the door handle. It pulled open after a little effort on her part, and he stuck his foot between it and the door frame, using that to shove it completely open. "Amaya," he said, lowering his voice. "I need you to be completely quiet. If you hear any sound or see anything move, tell me immediately. Do not panic, that won't help me keep you safe. Okay?"

She nodded again, but kept her mouth shut.

He sighed and stepped up to the railing. Just as he did, he heard a door open below him, then the sound of feet on stairs. He glanced over the railing. Amaya, looking with him, tensed and buried her face in his shoulder. Luckily, this appeared to be because of heights, and not because she saw the man running up from the basement toward the first floor.

Usaki swallowed, glancing over his shoulder at Amaya, then made a decision. "Run back down the hall," he said, squatting to let her down. "Knock on doors until someone answers and lets you in. Hide, tell them to call the police."

She stared at him, clutching his arm.

"Amaya, please," he said, meeting her eyes seriously. "I'll come back for you, I promise."

Amaya hesitated, then nodded and fled back onto the sixth floor.

Usaki went after Yamajiro.

xXx

"_Now that you're done beating up the condemned criminal-_"

"We can kill him?" Shota asked hopefully. He'd turned his mic back on after they'd beaten the man bloody, and this was the first thing Kenshin said that was good news.

Kenshin sighed. "_Before I answer that... Usaki's alive. He switched the beacon and went to the staircase. He's now moving toward the doors, I assume on the first floor, heading rapidly out of the building. I would guess that he's chasing someone, probably Yamajiro. And yes, you can kill your punching bag._"

"We can kill him," Shota said to Seiju. "And Usaki's alive."

Seiju perked at that and abruptly broke the man's neck. "Oh good! Where is he?"

"First floor, leaving the building, probably chasing Yamajiro," Shota recited.

"_... You guys sound way too cheerful right now_," Kenshin deadpanned.

"Yeah well-"

"Wait, back up," Seiju interrupted, freezing. "Usagi-kun's alive?"

"... yeah..."

The duo exchanged looks before darting toward the staircase.

xXx

"Yamajiro Kimino!" Usaki shouted as he darted out the door of the apartment building. He spotted a figure running across the street ahead of him. "Yamajiro-san!" He growled and took off after the man. "Stop!"

Needless to say, Yamajiro didn't. He just kept running away, not even glancing back. Usaki had to chase him across the street and into the parking lot of the nearest grocery store. Yamajiro was quick.

Usaki was quicker.

The man darted up the hood of a car, across the roof and down the back. Usaki followed a second later, tackling him as he slowed to jump off the car. Yamajiro struggled, elbowing him hard in the face and trying to get to his feet. Usaki jerked hard on his ankle, bringing him back down to the ground and ignoring the pain in his face.

Yamajiro snarled and twisted, hands wrapping around Usaki's throat. "I thought I killed you!" he growled, squeezing.

Usaki struggled against his grip, hands trying to pry Yamajiro's fingers away with limited success. He shoved at Yamajiro's face with one hand when that appeared to be failing. Yamajiro's grip loosened slightly at the distraction, making it so that Usaki could successfully pry his hands away and punch him in the face, fury burning his insides.

This bastard had tried to kill Amaya!

His fist landed again. And again.

"Usagi-kun!"

And again and again and-

"Usaki!"

Shota grabbed his wrist and dragged him off of Yamajiro. "Calm down!" he said, grabbing Usaki's face and forcing him to look at the older male.

"She's okay, Usaki. Amaya's fine," Seiju added, kneeling by the unconscious Yamajiro to check his pulse. "He's alive, taicho. Barely."

Shota nodded and pulled Usaki into a hug, sighing. "Good. The police should be here soon... Damn, Tamao with them. I should probably go..."

Seiju smiled slightly. "Kenshin's over there with the van. Just go get your mask, taicho."

"Oh... Right." He gave a sheepish laugh and pushed Usaki away slightly. "You okay, now?" he asked gently.

Usaki nodded, still panting. "... yeah. I need to find Amaya-san," he said. "You go get your mask."

Seiju got up, stepping out of the way as the first police officers approached. "I can come with you, Usagi-kun. If that's okay?" His gaze swept over Usaki's face carefully, then traveled down his form, as if searching for injuries. "You've got bruises on your neck..." His gaze hardened briefly, then softened when he looked back up at the blond's face.

Usaki shrugged. "I'm fine. We have to get Amaya." He avoided Seiju's hand when the other male attempted to pat his shoulder. Instead, he turned around and jogged toward the apartment complex. Seiju followed him and soon they were dashing up the stairs to the sixth floor.

Usaki shoved the door open and came to a stop five feet into the hall. He frowned. Seiju, slightly out of breath, came in behind him. "Where is she?"

"... I don't know. I told her to hide," Usaki replied honestly.

Seiju let out a sound that was half groan half sigh. "Well... I suppose we'll have to knock on doors, then."

"And disturb everyone?" Usaki demanded, voice raising slightly.

Seiju blinked. "Well... well, we don't have to," he said meekly, taken aback.

To their left, a door opened a crack. "Usagi-kun?" The door opened all the way and Amaya threw herself at Usaki. He caught her halfway and she grabbed his neck in a hug. He winced. "Usagi-kun!" she cheered. "Is it okay now?"

"You're safe," Usaki promised.

Behind him, Seiju smiled. That was so cute. "How are you doing, Amaya-chan?" he asked brightly. "Are you hurt?"

She peered at him over Usaki's shoulder. "No..." she muttered, her voice muffled by Usaki's shirt.

"Good! I take it Usagi-kun's taken care of you?"

She nodded but offered no further audible response. Seiju sighed but decided that he really couldn't expect anything more.

xXx

"So he's in jail?" Shota asked, frowning at Mikami. "He killed his wife, made sure his partner would die, attempted to kill his daughter and three Tokkei agents... and he's going to sit in a nice cushy cell?"

"For life," Mikami inserted. "But yes." He eyed Usaki, who was glowering out a window. "And... what is-"

"Don't ask," Shota sighed, glancing at his partner.

"He's mad 'cause he had to give 'Maya-chan to her aunt," Seiju interjected cheerfully. He ignored Usaki's poisonous glare. "And he's not even allowed to visit, because the woman is a Tokkei hater."

Mikami gave Usaki a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry to hear that..."

He huffed and glared out the window again. Shota snickered. "Sorry, Usagi-kun. We'll make it up to you."

"I doubt it," Usaki said flatly, standing. "Anyway, I'm taking one of my off days. I have something I need to do."

Seiju turned to follow, but stopped when Shota grabbed his shoulder. He looked back at his captain and best friend. "... Sho-kun?" The door clicked shut behind Usaki.

"Leave him be," Shota said, eyes still on the door Usaki had gone through. "He needs space." He knew that the blond was probably on his way to the hospital. To see _him_...

Seiju looked back at the door and sighed. "Okay." He turned toward Mikami. "So! Do we have a mission?"

**This is the end of arc one! As soon as I get arc two under way, I'll be posting on that. It'll still be on this (as in this story), so you don't need to worry about looking for a separate story or anything.**

As for the story... you may have noticed that I left a few things un-tied up, or some things weren't explained. Please bear in mind that the story is. not. finished. Thanks for reading, and please look forward to Hogosha, Arc II, Taberu Ningensei.


	7. Arc 2

_Mommy? Mommy, it's so hot in the house... Why is it so hot? I stumble out of bed and race to the door. I have to get to mommy. I __**have**_ _to. But the door is too hot. It burns my hands when I touch it._

_**MOMMY!**_ _Mommy... I'm so terrified mommy. Please mommy, save me... Mommy, where are you? Mommy..._

_I lift my head and sniff. I can smell smoke, and wood, and... something sweet. Like cooking steak. Maybe. Perhaps it's closer to pork. It... smells... __**so**_ _good..._

xXx

Seiju sighed, picking his spoon up out of his coffee and dropping it back in again. He had a small smile on his face, eyes half-lidded and dreamy. Beside him, Usaki was staring blankly at a doughnut. He took a bite, chewed and stared at it again. It was like he was inspecting it, and as such, was very weird.

Seiju, however, didn't notice. He was far too busy day dreaming. Unfortunately for him, Shota walked into the break room and noticed. A large, shit-eating grin spread across the captain's face when he caught sight of his vice captain.

"Sei!" he chirped in greeting. "How's that girl of your's? You two have been dating for a week now, right?" he teased.

Seiju started and looked up at his superior. "... Sho-kun?" It took him a moment to shake off his fantasies and realize what Shota was talking about. As soon as he did, his cheeks darkened. "That... she's just fine," he said, perhaps a tad sharply.

Shota snickered. "Yeah? I'll say. So... where did you guys meet again? The bus-stop, wasn't it?"

Blue eyes narrowed at his captain. "Actually, it was the crosswalk," he answered indignantly.

"Oh, yeah! Right, right." Shota pulled a chair back from the table and sat backwards in it. "When's the wedding?"

Seiju sputtered, face getting even darker, but Usaki spoke up before he could. "You two are moving fast. I didn't hear about a wedding..." He blinked blankly at the other male, though he couldn't help but feel that Seiju and his new girlfriend were moving a tad _too_ fast...

"There's no wedding!" Seiju snapped, glaring at his snickering superior. "Sho-kun's just being an ass."

"Oh," Usaki said, so softly that the others easily ignored the response.

It helped that Shota was laughing so loudly it drowned out Usaki's normal volume, much less his quieter tones. Seiju looked like he wanted to hit the older male, and Shota probably wouldn't be able to fend him off at this point. Luckily, Igarashi stuck his head in the break room door and scowled at Mikoshiba.

"Oi! I have to debrief you idiots on a mission, so c'mon!" he barked, voice slicing through the noise like a knife through butter.

Predictably, Shota was instantly riled up. "Shut up, Degarashi!" he retorted, scrambling out of his seat. "You don't gotta be so asinine about it!"

"You wouldn't listen if I tried being nice!" Igarashi retorted. "And don't call me that!"

"I'll call you what I want!"

"Yeah? Well you can just-"

"Enough!" Seiju said sharply, cutting them both off. He sighed and managed a half-hearted smile. "C'mon. It's a new mission. You know, new bad guys to defeat and stuff."

Shota snickered. "Bad guys? You're such a kid, Sei."

xXx

**This is just a teaser. ^^ But this does mean I'm finally going to start updating the second arc. Yay! This arc will probably be longer than the last one... I think so anyway. Who knows for sure. Please review!**


	8. A New Mission

**Hogosha**

**Chapter 8**

**A New Mission**

"**Is it progress if a cannibal uses a knife and fork?"**

**-Stanislaw Lee**

xXx

"A cannibal?" Seiju yelped, stiffening. He made a face. "They're... scary."

Usaki stared at his partner while Shota snickered. Mikami just sighed and shook his head. "That's the point, Shikibu fukutaicho," he said calmly. "Fear is half the appeal. Or so says our department psychiatrist."

Seiju frowned slightly at the thought. "Really?"

Mikami nodded. "Anyway, we have been finding numerous bodies and remains left by this man, Alvarez Juan." He slid a manilla folder across the desk for Shota to pick up. "DNA and fingerprints left at most of the scenes indicate that he was present before, during and after the bodies were dropped, and evidence on the bodies themselves is enough for us to prove that he is the killer."

Shota scanned the file briefly. "The Cannibal Killer? Rather unoriginal," he commented. "You said the bodies were dropped? I take it he killed and... consumed them elsewhere, then?"

"Yes," Mikami agreed, nodding to the folder. "We've discovered that he uses a hidden room in his apartment to butcher, cook and consume the meat from his victims."

Seiju accepted the folder from Shota, letting Usaki read over his shoulder. The vice captain gasped. "He... they're still...?" He looked up at Mikami in shock, lifting a hand to cover his mouth. He let Usaki take the folder from him, unable to really read any more.

The department head sighed. "Yes, vice captain."

Usaki frowned, eyes scanning the contents grimly. "'Alvarez does not kill his victims before he skins them and cuts away the meat'. He tortures them to death."

"Bastard," Shota snarled, fingers curling into fists at his sides.

"Where was he last spotted?" Usaki asked, ignoring his partners' horror and focusing on the task at hand.

Mikami gestured toward the file again. "He was last spotted in district E, near the stores there. Shopping."

Shota stared at the department head incredulously. "Seriously? The guy was torturing, eating and killing people - in that order - and he didn't even have the decency to hide from the law?"

"On the contrary," Mikami replied calmly, giving the captain a slight, humorless smile. "He's been hiding quite well... in plain sight. So long as he goes by his normal habits, no one would notice anything odd and get suspicious."

Usaki, who'd been reading the file (and did not appear to be as bothered by the gorey details as Seiju and Shota were), glanced up. "It says his father disappeared when he was fifteen," he stated, lifting the folder slightly to indicate it.

Mikami inclined his head. "We believe Alvarez Marcio to be his first victim. We don't have any proof, as no remains were ever found, but that is our suspicion. Hideki Ryussa, a neighbor of the Alvarez family back then, told the police that the day before Alvarez was reported missing, they were arguing. She claimed that Alvarez Marcio backhanded his son and started shoving him around on the patio."

"So his father was physically abusive?" Usaki asked, eyes narrowing. They all recalled their last run-in with an abusive father, Usaki more-so than his partners.

"That is what we believe. The general thought is that the younger Alvarez killed and ate his father in retribution. We don't yet know what compelled him to eat him, though."

"I see," Shota muttered. He held his hand out for the folder from Usaki. Taking it when the other held it out, he scanned recent sightings. "And he was seen just yesterday. I take it he doesn't know we're onto him?"

"He does," Mikami said with a sigh. "The apartment was mostly cleaned out when we searched it, as if he'd been in a hurry to leave. He was probably tipped off."

Usaki stiffened at that, eyes narrowing thoughtfully. "Are you saying we have a leak in our system, sir?" he asked before either of his partners could.

Mikami shrugged, propping his chin up in his hand. "I'm saying it's a possibility. It's also just as possible that we need to update security."

"I see," Usaki murmured.

"Anyway, we should get going, then," Shota suggested, bowing politely to the department head. "We-"

Seiju's cellphone went off, interrupting the captain. The black-haired male gave his friend a sheepish look when Shota turned to glower at him. "S-sorry..." He stepped back, to a corner of the room and answered it.

"Moshimoshi... Yusa-chan! I'm at work! Can it wai- Yusa-chan? N- Yusa-chan! Please calm-" He tensed up completely, worrying the others in the room. "... I'll be there right away, Yusa-chan. Just go to the nearest safe place and wait for me, okay? Good girl."

He snapped the phone closed and immediately moved toward the door. Usaki reached out and grabbed his arm. Seiju, clearly distracted, stopped and turned slightly, his expression stormy. "I have to go. Let me go."

The blond stared at him. "... we're coming with you," he replied after a beat.

Seiju's eyes widened and he glanced at Shota, as if wanting him to protest. However, Shota merely nodded grimly, eyes worried. The vice captain sighed. "Very well. But I'm driving."

Shota lifted a brow, recalling the last time Seiju had driven while he was agitated. "Uh, no. _I'm_ driving," he replied, smiling a little.

"No! I-"

"Let's go and not waste time arguing about it, huh?" Shota asked with a grin. He grabbed Seiju's arm and tugged before the younger male could say another word. Seiju rolled his eyes but allowed his friend to drag him along.

Usaki, puzzled by their peculiar behavior, merely followed.

xXx

"SEI-KUN!" a female voice shrieked. A tall, black-haired, model-esque girl launched herself at Seiju and latched onto his arm. She then moved her arms to wrap around his neck and hold him like a lifeline.

Shota and Usaki were gaping. "Look at that babe!" the captain hissed to the blond. "It's like walking sex! What the hell?"

Usaki cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses. "I assure you that I do not know, taicho," he replied flatly.

Seiju, meanwhile, was holding the woman gently, stroking her back in a soothing manner. "It's okay, Yusa-chan. I'm here now."

"Oh, Sei-kun, it was so horrible! I've never seen anything like that in my whole life! It made me so sick..." She buried her face in his throat, clutching tighter. "It was like something out of a nightmare, or a horror movie!"

He patted her back and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "C'mon. Let's get you a cup of coffee... Taicho, would you look into the body she discovered?"

"Ah, that's right." Shota offered the woman a smile (though, as she was still sobbing into Seiju's shirt, she didn't notice). "Okay. Where is it?"

She sniffed and pulled away from Seiju, looking at him. Then she pointed toward a nearby alley. "There, near the dumpsters." She dropped her hand, then grabbed Seiju's with it, as if she wasn't sure what to do with it.

He smiled a little and squeezed her hand gently. "C'mon; I'm paying."

She nodded and let him lead her off while Shota and Usaki headed toward the alleyway. The captain shook his head irritably. "We'll check it out and then call the police. As annoying as it is, it's not really our problem." He frowned. While it saddened him that another human being had died, if he let every single murder of an innocent person bother him, he'd have long since gone insane by now.

And he couldn't let that happen.

"Agreed," Usaki said. He glanced around as they stepped into the alleyway, taking stock of their surroundings. There was nothing immediately apparent that was out of place, but the body was hidden behind a dumpster.

Or what was left of it, anyway. Usaki could smell the stench of decay from halfway down the alleyway, but nature hadn't removed most of the meat and flesh like that. Shota looked like he wanted to puke, so Usaki took it upon himself to check the... remains for identification.

However, when he got a closer look, he stiffened. "Taicho," he said, eyes wide. "What do these bite marks look like to you?"

Shota's eyes narrowed and he knelt beside his teammate. "Bite marks?" He surveyed the wounds Usaki pointed out and grimaced. "I can't say for sure until they've been examined by a professional, but I think we found our target's latest victim."

Usaki nodded. His suspicion had been confirmed. "I should go ask Nataro-san some questions."

"Right. And I'll get ahold of Mikami and the police," Shota replied, standing and pulling out his cellphone.

Usaki offered a brief, habitual bow before he turned and jogged out of the alley. Once he was across the street, he glanced around for the nearest cafe. However, there was none in sight.

Where could they have gone?

xXx

Seiju smiled slightly at Yusa as she sipped her coffee. He was idly playing with a few strands of her hair, just watching her. They hadn't really said anything since they came into the cafe, but to be honest that was just fine with him. He could watch her all day, and would, if he didn't have to work (and if she would let him).

As if reading his thoughts, Yusa looked up and smiled uncertainly. She was still so shy around him, all the time. He could still remember the day they'd met. She'd been staring at him wide-eyed and, unused to the quiet attention (usually it was loud teenage girls gasping about how pretty 'her' hair was), he had asked her out on a whim. She was shocked at first, but then she smiled slightly and gave a shy nod of agreement.

Seiju had taken her out that night and never looked back.

He was glad he hadn't. She was so godsdamned beautiful, and smart, and funny (when she wasn't being too shy to actually speak at all)... He could go on with a mile-long list of her good attributes. However, she had grown uncomfortable with his staring and opened her mouth.

"Sei-kun?" she murmured, brow wrinkling. Her eyes then shifted beyond him. "Oh, your friend, Sei-kun..."

Irritated to be interrupted from his observing (though perhaps he was being a tad creepy), Seiju turned in his seat and frowned at the blond stepping through the cafe door. He lifted his arm, immediately catching the observant boy's attention, and waved him over. "Usagi-kun! What did you find?"

Usagi frowned and glanced at Yusa, eyes narrowing slightly. Yusa shrunk back from the vague glare, pretty brown eyes wide. Seiju scowled. "Usagi-kun?" he said, tone warning.

The blond looked at him and gave a slight bow. "I apologize. We found that it is likely the work of our target. Taicho is contacting Mikami-san and the police as we speak." Green eyes slid over to stare at Yusa again. "I need to ask your acquaintance some questions about what she observed."

Seiju sighed. Usagi was still so high-strung... and he seemed to be worse so since Amaya had left to go live with her aunt. He did hope that she was doing okay... Shaking his head, he brushed the thoughts away and turned to offer his girlfriend a bright smile.

"Yusa-chan? Usagi-kun just needs to ask you a few questions. If you could, tell him whatever you remember, okay? It's painless and quick; there shouldn't be any harm in it and it'll help us catch the horrible person that did this."

Yusa blinked slowly at Seiju before nodding and lifting her coffee. She sipped it with trembling hands and managed a small, forced smile for Usagi. "O-okay, Sei-kun. Todo-san, could we make this quick? I really should be at work..."

Usagi's eyes narrowed suspiciously again (really, he needed to stop scaring Yusa like that!) and he pulled a chair over to their booth. "Can you please tell me how you discovered the body, Nataro-san?"

Yusa nodded, black hair bouncing slightly in the bun she kept it up in for work. "Um... I heard... a noise from the alley. I don't really know what it was. Maybe just a rat or something..." She trailed off, eyes going glassy and distant. When she spoke again, her voice was softer, smoother, without any hesitation. It was like she was telling what happened as it unfolded before her eyes. Perhaps that was what she was experiencing.

"I was walking down the road, wondering about things at work. Sei-kun and I had gone out to see a scary movie at the dollar theatre the night before. It had given me nightmares, so when I heard the sound in the alley as I passed, I instantly thought something was wrong. Without even considering what it was, I went into the alley.

"I went halfway down the alley when I spotted what looked like a piece of shoe sticking out behind the dumpster. I assumed that it was a homeless person, but still went to investigate. When I got a glimpse... It was horrifying. Like my nightmares, only more vivid, more real. I've always watched television shows where they investigate horrible murders, but I never really thought it could happen to someone _here_..."

She shook her head and looked at Usaki, swallowing slightly. "I don't ever want to see something like that again..."

Seiju bit his lip and pulled her into a hug, smoothing his hand over her hair gently. "I'm so sorry you had to see that, Yusa-chan," he whispered, feeling like he had somehow failed her. Would he never be able to protect anyone from seeing, experiencing... _knowing_ about such horrible things?

"It's not your fault, Sei-kun," Yusa replied, resting tiredly in his embrace. "I... should get to work."

He shook his head immediately. "No. You need to go home and rest, Yusa-chan," he instructed firmly, tone brooking no argument. "I mean it. This is a horrible thing that you had to experience and-"

His cell phone went off in tandem with Usaki's. Usaki frowned and answered his. "Todo," he said gruffly in lieu of a greeting. "Kenshin. Yes. I am with Shikibu-fukutaicho."

"Seiju," the black-haired male hissed.

Usaki, predictably, ignored him. "Yes. I- ... you what?" he asked, looking stunned. "No! You can't be serious!"

Seiju swallowed, a feeling of dread curling in his stomach. "Usagi-kun? What happened?"

Usaki forced himself to calm down and nodded to whatever Kenshin was saying. "Understood. We will get there immediately. Yes." He clicked the phone shut and shoved it into his pocket in a rare display of carelessness. "They identified the body."

Seiju held his breath and nodded, staring at his partner. "And?" he managed.

"Sasato Miyagi," Usaki replied, standing from his seat.

"No..." Seiju covered his mouth with a hand, staring at his partner in stunned disbelief. "You can't be serious..."

Usaki nodded grimly. Their target had moved higher up in the food chain. He had started targeting Tokkei operatives.

xXx

It was a grim day. A white banner had been lifted over the Tokkei headquarters to mourn their fallen comrade. Kenshin had been attempting to contact Sasato taicho's partners all day with no luck, and they were left assuming the worst. Both men hadn't been seen since the day before and they both lived alone. Their apartments were pristine, as single Tokkei really didn't have much to do in their off time and so tended to be neat freaks.

Their neighbors hadn't reported anything suspicious, their beds were neatly made, their food neatly put away. It was as if they had simply... vanished. Shota knew, in his gut, that they weren't alive. Even if Seiju wanted to hold onto the foolish hope and Usaki demanded they do a search.

It was strange, seeing the blond so angry about something. Perhaps he'd known one of them? That was a possibility, though Shota couldn't picture it. The First and Forty Second brigades hardly _ever_ crossed paths during their work schedules, especially since they were on an alternate rotation that only had them working the same shift as the First on Fridays.

Sighing, Shota lifted a hand to rub his eyes, trying to escape his distracted thoughts. He was tired. They all were. Ever since the body had been identified, the Tokkei were put on high alert and hardly any of them had gotten any rest. Seiju had left as soon as he could to join Yusa - as protection, he'd said - and Usaki kept pacing restlessly back and forth in the intelligence room. Well, until ten minutes ago when Kenshin got fed up and kicked him out. Then he'd moved to Shota's office and nothing the older man said could get him to leave.

Though he was grateful for the company.

"You should get some coffee or something," he said, looking up at the blond. "Or use the bathroom. I can't remember the last time you did."

"Five hours, forty minutes and eight- ten seconds ago," Usaki replied instantly.

Shota scowled, trying to decide if Usaki was being impertinent or not. He finally concluded that that was impossible. Usaki was being dead serious, as usual. "I don't care. Go use the bathroom. If we have to suddenly leave and you end up having to go to the bathroom-"

"That won't happen," Usaki snapped, glaring at him irritably. Nonetheless, he spun on his heel and left the room.

Shota breathed a sigh of relief and picked up his cell from the corner of his desk. He pressed the '2' and hit enter, then waited. The other person picked up immediately. "Shota?"

"Tama. How are you doing?" he asked, just wanting to make sure his friend was okay.

The smile in Tamao's voice was audible. "I'm doing okay. We're busy with this situation right now, though... Why did you call? Are you on break?"

"Late lunch," Shota lied easily. "I was stuck in a meeting until two minutes ago and just got back to my office."

Tamao hesitated a second before sighing. "I see... Are you okay? You haven't... seen anything odd, have you?"

"Odd?" Shota tried not to let his amusement seep into his voice. "No."

"Oh good." Tamao sounded relieved. "Are you really okay? You sound tired."

Shota's good humor vanished like smoke and he reached up to rub his eyes again, a habit that he'd had so long it would be impossible to break. "Just this stupid thing we're dealing with here. You sound pretty exhausted yourself, Tama. Did something happen?"

Tamao hesitated again, this time for a little longer. Then he gave a forced laugh. "Yes. I feel so bad for them... And at the same time... well, I'll tell you about it later, I guess."

Shota nodded. "Okay." Usaki should be returning shortly to pace another ditch in the floor. "I'll let you get back to it. I need to go get my lunch now, so I'll see you tonight."

"Sure. It's my turn to cook, right?" Tamao asked, already knowing the answer.

"It's always your turn to cook," Shota retorted and chuckled. "Bye."

"Bye."

He closed the phone and set it down on the desk again, sighing. He really should get something to eat... and what was taking Usaki so long anyway?

As if on cue, the door swung open without a knock and Usaki walked back in to resume his pacing, as if he had never left. Shota's head dropped down onto his desk with a muted thud. It was going to be a long afternoon.

xXx

**Lol to Tiffany. Thanks for reviewing, hon. And this is for you. XD Please review, everyone! Thanks so much for taking the time to read this.**


	9. The Apprentice

**Hogosha**

**Chapter 9**

**The Apprentice**

"**Let's make the best of the situation**

**Before I finally go insane**

**Please don't say we'll never find a way**

**And tell me all my love's in vain."**

**-Eric Clapton**

xXx

"You're late."

"S-sorry... Shisho," Juan said, bowing before the person standing in the shadows. "You wanted me so quickly. I had to kill the man I was preparing..."

"Hmph. That's sloppy, Juan. I thought I had taught you better than that!" the figure snapped irritably. They huffed. "Anyway. You took care of the brigade nicely. Thanks for the captain, by the way. It would have been difficult for me to take care of him on my own, but you're so strong... you managed nicely."

Juan smiled at the praise, staring at his master lovingly. "Thank you, Shisho. I try to please you however I can."

"Oh, I'm pleased, Juan... but you know..." The master stepped from the shadows. "You're not even close to handsome." Perfect white teeth flashed and dark cocoa eyes danced. "My _man_ is so much better than you. You'll have to pull off something truly spectacular to even dream of catching my attention."

Juan's fingers tightened into fists, but he dare not anger her. "Shisho... what do you mean, your man?" He knew she was dating some pretty nobody, but... was she honestly attracted to the guy? He had assumed she meant to eat him...

Tinkling laughter echoed about the warehouse. "Oh my... Juan, you're so stupid." She reached up and tugged the hair tie out of dark locks, letting them tumble like silk to her shoulders. "Really? Do you think I care so much about him? He's such a gullible boy. Hee..." She winked at him. "But he's better than you. Prettier, kinder, saner." She giggled.

Juan flinched at every insult. "He looks like a girl, Shisho!"

She burst into laughter at that. "Mmm. I know! So yummy. The effeminate ones do have such a distinct taste. Like... cherries. Cherry-flavored hotdogs." She giggled again.

Fury burned in his gut, but as she collapsed into hysterics, he couldn't do a thing about it. However, he'd get that pretty little fuck. And his blond dog too.

xXx

Shota finally got home around eight in the evening. They had made little headway on their manhunt for Alvarez, as the man had vanished. There was no telling what happened to the guy. He was just gone.

It was really irritating Shota, to be honest.

Sighing, he shrugged his jacket off and tossed it on the couch as he walked through the living room to check the kitchen for Tama. The kitchen was empty. The table was set as always, the food placed untouched on the table. Shota frowned and walked down the hall toward the bedrooms.

"Tama?" he called softly, hand twitching toward the gun tucked into the back of his pants. He'd left it there, deciding he could make up his excuses later. He didn't want to be unable to protect his roommate, after all... "Tamao? You home?"

There was a soft shifting in Tamao's bedroom. Shota stiffened and crept soundlessly down the hall to his door. His hand reached behind him to grab his gun. The door slammed open-

And Shota nearly fell over laughing. "What the hell?" he cried, clutching his stomach.

Tamao glowered at him. "I fell asleep on the newspaper, asshole," he grumbled. "It's your fault, anyway! You're late getting home!"

Shota poked the backwards 'meat' on Tama's forehead. "Sorry. It was really busy."

Tamao rolled his eyes and pouted. "Likely excuse." He glared at Shota for a moment longer before sighing and pushing past him. "C'mon, let's get to eat- why do you have a gun?"

Shota stiffened and turned so the gun was no longer visible to Tamao. "Well... I got worried... I was looking into stuff when someone mentioned that... well, a whole squad of Tokkei were taken out, Tama! I immediately registered for a gun."

"You think a gun will stop this bastard?" Tamao demanded, glaring.

"He's only human!" Shota retorted.

Hasui huffed. "How do you even know? It's classified information, Sho. You aren't _supposed_ to know!" His brow wrinkled. "And anyway, shooting someone is a felony."

"Not if it's self defense," Shota replied.

The two glared at each other for a time, then Tamao shook his head and turned away. "Fine, but don't wear it at the table."

"Sure, sure," Shota replied, following his friend down the hall.

However, Hasui was lost in his own thoughts. He'd gotten a good look at that gun.

It was Tokkei issue.

xXx

Usaki had just gotten home when his landline began to ring. Hurriedly, he set his jacket on the couch and practically dove for the phone.

"Moshimoshi," he greeted as soon as it was at his ear.

"_Moshimoshi, Usagi-kun. Baasan's taking a bath. I wanted to say hi._"

Green eyes widened and Usaki glanced around, as if someone would jump out of the shadows and catch him. "Amaya-san. It's good to hear from you," he finally said. "Perhaps you shouldn't do something that would get you in trouble?"

She giggled softly. "_I'll be okay, Usagi-kun. She'll just get angry and send me to my room_."

Well, at least she wasn't anything like Amaya's father... Shaking away the morbid thought, Usaki allowed himself a smile. "Okay. It's nice to hear from you. How are you doing?"

"_I'm doing good! Obaasan put me in this really cool school, and the teachers are very nice. They have been helping me to catch up and always make sure I can eat when I'm hungry._" There was a grin in her voice. "_I'm so happy._"

The words relieved him. Never once in all the time he'd known her had she said that. Just hearing the elation in her voice at all the wonderful things she'd described made him a little more comfortable with leaving her in her aunt's care. Back when they had given her over, he had outright offered to take care of her, because he didn't trust anyone else to protect her the way he could.

Now, though, he was glad she had gone with the woman (even if she hated the Tokkei). Anyone who could make Amaya happy again was worth it.

"_N-no! Baasan, I'm just-_"

"_Who is this?_" a semi-familiar, stern voice demanded.

Honestly, the woman reminded him of his teachers back at the academy. Sighing, he closed his eyes. "Usaki Todo," he replied honestly. "Thank you for seeing to her happiness. Please make her happier than anyone else in the world." His piece said, he set the phone down in it's cradle and leaned back on his heels.

He felt tired suddenly, like someone had sucked all the energy out. He was glad Amaya was happy, but he really wished he could see her. She was so sweet, and had depended on him...

It was different from the feeling Iori had always given him. While he'd always wanted to protect his brother, and had always tried everything he could to do so, his brother hadn't ever been so... helpless, or dependent on him. Amaya had relied entirely upon him, trusting in him alone to protect her properly, and he had.

He had fought against Yamajiro with all his might, and finally they'd put him in jail. That was over.

Now that the dream was finished, though, he had to deal with the nightmare. They couldn't let this Tokkei-slaughtering cannibal live.

Time to get some sleep.

xXx

Seiju lay in his massive bed, his sexy girlfriend in his arms. He couldn't stop staring at her. She was so gorgeous. He didn't know how fate had been kind enough to give her to him, but he wasn't going to question it. So long as she was here with him, standing by his side, he just knew he'd be able to take on that cannibal. Or anyone, for that matter.

Her eyes fluttered open and she peered back at him, smiling slightly. "Why do you stare so much, Sei-kun?" she asked shyly.

"Because..." He hesitated. Should he tell her? She deserved to know... Yes. He should. "Because I love you," he said, and held his breath.

Beautiful brown eyes widened like he had expected them to. Then she gave him that perfect shy smile (something in the back of his mind mused how it was so perfect, it was almost as if she practiced it, but that was ridiculous). "Really?" she murmured, then sat up. "Then stay home tomorrow."

He stilled, eyes widening in surprise. "What? Stay home?"

"Yes, Sei-kun! Stay home," she insisted, looking away.

Seiju reached out and touched her shoulder, tugging her into his arms. "I can't, Yusa-chan. I have to find this murderer. I cannot allow anyone else to die."

Yusa turned large, pleading eyes up to him. "But Sei-kun! I worry about you. I'll be so scared that you won't come home, and tomorrow of all days! I don't want to worry about you tomorrow."

He opened his mouth, but she kissed him to shut him up. Then she continued, climbing into his lap and cupping his face. "You can't! Please. It's my birthday tomorrow. You can just tell those guys at your work that you're protecting me or something. Please, Sei-kun. I'm begging you."

Seiju took in a slow, deep breath and then released it. "Yusa-chan..." He brushed some hair from her face with the back of his knuckles, then tugged her into a sweet kiss. "I can't. I _have_ to protect my team and find that killer. You must understand."

She turned away, shoulders shaking with the effort to contain her sobs. "Fine," she said, her voice sounding choked. "At least promise to join me for lunch, then?"

He nodded quickly, though she didn't see it. "Of course I will. It's a promise. I'm sorry I can't stay home..."

She turned back to face him, wiping tears from her face and attempting a brave expression. "It's okay, Sei-kun. Just stay safe. I guess I'll have to give you your surprise during lunch."

Seiju quirked a brow and grinned. "Oooh, a surprise huh?" He kissed her again. "I can't wait."

As he turned away to shut off the bedside light so they could sleep, a sarcastic smile crossed her face. _Neither can I, you tasty man._

xXx

"You're late," Usaki barked at Shota when he finally came into the room.

The Tokkei captain snorted. "By five minutes. Do you expect me to function on half a cup of coffee?"

"I don't drink coffee," the blond retorted. It had been bad enough that he'd had to go home to sleep. Now that he could get back on the hunt for Alvarez, he damn sure wasn't going to let Shota drag his feet.

Shota eyed him and then shrugged. "Have it your way." He glanced at Mikami. "Any new information?"

Mikami nodded. "As a matter of fact, yes. Alvarez was spotted in the shadier part of town just this morning. The old Todai district, before the University moved upstate." He handed the captain two sheets of printed paper stapled together. "The odd thing is that he was standing around the more populated parts of the area, occasionally being very loud. I believe he _wanted_ to be noticed, though he has since disappeared. We believe he may be hanging around an old abandoned warehouse..."

Shota nodded and handed the paper to his teammates. "Good. If he's looking for us, we shouldn't disappoint him, right?" He smirked, a touch of anger entering his eyes. Despite appearances, no one was more angry about this than he was.

Well, except maybe Usaki.

"Let's go, captain," the blond said, already heading for the door.

"Be careful, this might be a trap," Mikami warned them. It was useless, though, since the captain and Usaki had already left.

Seiju paused and glanced at Mikami. "We'll be fine. By the way, I'm taking a long lunch, okay?" He smiled prettily and left the room.

Mikami sighed after he'd departed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He had a bad feeling about this. Hopefully, they would be careful. He didn't want to have to replace two Tokkei teams.

xXx

On the way to the crime scene, they were once more teasing Seiju about his girlfriend. 'They' of course consisted of 'Shota and Igarashi' with Usaki sulking on the sidelines again. Seiju was the color of a ripe tomato and trying to hide his face in his hands while Shota had his arm wrapped around the younger male's shoulders and Igarashi sat across from them.

Shota grinned as a sudden thought occurred to him. "Hey, look at it this way, Sei. At least with a girl on your arm, people will stop thinking you _are_ one, right?" he teased.

Seiju grimaced at that. "I suppose," he grumbled, remembering one child that had insisted he was 'pretty'.

Igarashi snickered. "Either that," he said, drawing their attention, "Or they'll still think he's a she and that _she_ is just _gay_."

Seiju turned red again while Shota guffawed. "That's right!" the captain proclaimed with sadistic glee. "Oh well, Sei, it looks like you're screwed."

"Oh, shut up," Seiju grumbled, shrugging his arm off and moving to sit beside Usaki. "You don't think I'm girly, do you?" he asked the blond pleadingly.

Usaki gave his partner a blank (though oddly irritated) look. "I don't care," he deadpanned.

Seiju flushed. "No, of course you don't," he muttered, sitting back. Thankfully, Shota and Igarashi were distracted by an argument between the two of them and had lost interest in Seiju's love life. For the moment.

Usaki gave him an odd look. "Why should it matter what they say?" he asked. "Or what I think, for that matter. You love your girlfriend, correct? Do not let them bother you with pointless, immature taunting."

Seiju smiled at his friend. "You're right. Thank you, Usagi-kun."

The blond shrugged and looked away. "Whatever," he muttered, still sulking.

Seiju opened his mouth to ask him what was the matter, however the van came to a sudden halt, nearly throwing him from his seat if Usaki hadn't grabbed onto his arm and jerked him back again.

Shota, also jostled, got out of his seat-belt and went to complain to Kenshin, who was driving. "What the hell is going on?" he demanded of the other male.

Kenshin frowned and gestured toward a person stumbling out of the way of the van ahead of them. It was some Caucasian guy. "He dashed out in front of the van from the alley way."

Shota glowered at the man as he ran away. "Damn. Alright, continue. How far are we from the place Alvarez was seen?" he asked.

"Five miles, give or take," Kenshin replied, shrugging. "We're to search all the buildings within a mile radius of where he was spotted, and if we find him, confirm and execute."

"And if we don't?"

"Make note and move out another mile."

Shota sighed and nodded. "Alright." He patted Kenshin on the shoulder before moving back again and reclaiming his seat across from Igarashi. "Almost there, guys. You ready?"

"Yes," Usaki said, eyes narrowed. "We are."

xXx

He was waiting. He had been all morning. He was in the perfect position. All he needed to do was be still a while longer. He could wait until they were in the right place... and then that pretty little brat's head would be his. _No_ one crossed Juan Alvarez and got away with it. And _no_ one stole his woman away without dire consequences.

xXx

The moment they stepped into the unused warehouse, Seiju felt a chill go down his spine. He stiffened and glanced at his partners to make sure they were still there. They were. Usaki was scanning the room with grin determination and Shota was mumbling softly into his mic, scowling faintly.

Seiju looked away from them, eying his surroundings with a feeling of unease. "I don't like the feel of this place," he said.

"I don't either," Shota agreed, lowering his hand from his mic and glancing about. "Let's hurry and search the building. This place gives me the creeps."

"Understood," his teammates chorused and split up. Seiju had gotten maybe ten steps when Usaki - ahead of him - stopped and turned back around as if to say something. His green eyes widened. "Fukutaicho, look out!"

Seiju abruptly dropped to the floor, narrowly avoiding the _machete_ that passed through the area his neck had been in seconds previously. He dove to the left against the floor when the person attacking him cut downward. In the blink of an eye, Seiju pulled his wire taught and lunged.

Alvarez, for it was clearly him, lifted the machete just in time to keep Seiju from slicing his head in two. Seiju met the man's eyes.

"_Identity confirmed. Criminal identification number 3502, Alvarez, Juan_."

"You're _dead_," Seiju snarled, lurching toward Alvarez again.

However, the stocky Hispanic was faster on his feet than his build would suggest. He easily danced out of the way, twisting past and under Seiju's guard in a fraction of a second. The sound of a gun going off echoed, but Alvarez had ducked just in time and the bullet only grazed his cheek. Sneering, the man met Seiju's eyes a second time. "No, _you_ are, pretty boy. And then she's _all_ mine."

Seiju swore as the man vanished into the shadows. The vice captain almost went after him, but Shota grabbed his shoulder and stopped him. "We have him. It's only a matter of time. Calm down."

Seiju jerked out of Shota's grip. "We have to execute him quickly. I have a feeling that Yusa's in danger."

Shota frowned and Usaki spoke up. "Yusa-san? He only said 'she'. How do you know it's her?"

Seiju paused to consider that, then looked at Usaki. "Usagi-kun, when you're in love, you know. It's just this feeling you get, and I have that."

Usaki frowned in confusion but didn't question the older male. Instead, he pulled his gun free of it's holster and turned. "Come on; let's find him."

"_HEY CHEERLEADERS!_" a voice shouted, echoing around the mostly empty warehouse. "_I THINK I'M GONNA SNACK ON ROASTED TOKKEI!_" He laughed, the eerie sound making the trio shiver.

High above them, the ceiling seemed to light on fire. Seiju gasped when the fire began to fall, the sound of something large falling reaching his ears. "GET OUT!" he screamed.

Shota and Usaki were already moving toward the doors... but when they reached them, they realized the trap. The doors were shut and locked, the fiery _something_ was falling... they were trapped inside and about to be burned alive.

xXx

**I am enjoying this way too much. Okay, so you guys are pretty much caught up (well you are) with me. Meaning the next chapter MAY and probably WILL take a bit longer to get out. Be happy, though. The chapters are longer this time round. ^^**


	10. Hunter and Prey

**Hogosha**

**Chapter 10**

**Hunter and Prey**

"**Freedom is only the distance between the hunter and his prey."**

**-Zhao, Zhenkai pen name Beo Dao**

"This way," Usaki said suddenly, grabbing their arms and dragging them underneath a set of metal stairs. Seiju gaped as the burning "ceiling" crashed to the floor. It was a metal 20x20 criss-crossed frame-work, oiled and lit on fire. However, the most grotesque bit was that there appeared to be a body tied to part of it.

He gagged when he realized it was the missing Tokkei officer, as evidenced by the uniform the man wore, though it was no longer recognizable as _human_. Shota climbed in between two of the metal steps in the staircase they stood under, then began climbing to the upper level. "C'mon, guys!" he shouted at them.

The others scrambled after him without question. Alvarez had vanished from sight, likely when he realized that they weren't going to burn alive.

_Though we might melt_, Seiju mused bitterly. The temperature around them had quickly skyrocketed in the mostly enclosed, largely metal building. He could only pray that there was some alternate escape route in the upper level, where the building's few offices were located. Hopefully, their clever opponent didn't want to die and had planned his escape accordingly. If not, they were screwed...

They reached the balcony encircling the parameter of the warehouse. Shota paused long enough to make sure Usaki and Seiju were still behind him, then darted along the catwalk to where Alvarez had been. There, they found a severed rope hanging from a beam above.

"He cut it," Shota muttered grimly.

Usaki must have seen Seiju sway from the corner of his eye, for he glanced toward him and took a step. "Fukutaicho..."

But Seiju shook his head and smiled wanly at his friend. "I'm fine, Usagi-kun. Don't worry about me..."

Blue eyes narrowed and Usaki lowered his chin slightly. In the burning golden glow from the fire on the ground, his profile looked older and more defined. _Far_ more dangerous. Seiju swallowed. "You _will_ be fine," the blond agreed, tone soft and deadly.

"Let's go," Shota ordered then. "Keep up, Sei."

"Hai," Seiju replied obediently.

xXx

Outside, the present Tokkei officers were in a near panic. The building was on fire, and the first brigade was stuck inside. When they'd tried to break in, the doors were locked and too hot to move without damaging the surrounding building.

"Igarashi," Kenshin panted, stopping from a dead run beside his superior. "We need to do something to cool it down in there, sir. We can't cut through the metal, though. That would endanger the cutters and possibly provide a fatal reaction with the gases inside."

Sakyo made a face and looked up at the building. "How much time do we have?" he asked softly.

"Minutes, maybe. At best," Kenshin replied, calculating. "We need to do something _now_, sir."

Sakyo glanced around and spied a nearby apartment complex. "Look for hoses."

Kenshin blinked. "Sir?"

"_Now_, Kashiwabara!" Igarashi shouted, drawing Kenshin up.

"Yes sir!" the younger male replied and turned away. He started barking orders to those around them, sending everyone into an even more frantic flurry of activity.

Igarashi Sakyo's lips thinned, even as a car pulled up behind him. He turned, watching Hasui Tamao stumble from it's depths, and smiled grimly. "Inspector."

"Tokkei-san," the other man said, and frowned. "What's going on here?" He looked up at the warehouse without waiting for Sakyo's answer, and his brow knitted. "It's burning. Where are the-"

"It's a routine execution, Inspector. If you'd be so kind as to leave, I would appreciate it," Sakyo replied, tone dry and face a mask of nonchalance.

Hasui's head whipped around, and his expression darkened. "Routine execution? Are you saying that there is a team of Tokkei and a wanted criminal in there?"

Sakyo didn't bother answering, as that wasn't what Hasui wanted. Instead, he turned away. "If you're going to stand around blowing up at everyone, you may as well make yourself useful, Inspector. We need hoses. Help us."

"Which brigade?"

Sakyo stopped, mid step, and glanced over his shoulder. Hasui was stiff, face about as readable as an open book. Worry warred with anger, but Sakyo hesitated to tell him. "Pardon?" he asked.

Inspector Hasui made a face, fists tightening. "Which brigade, Tokkei-san?" he demanded, then shook his head. "Inside."

"Ah, I thought so," Sakyo mumbled. He clearly remembered the first words about this man that Shota had ever said to him. '_If you ever let my name pass your lips in his presence, I will beat the shit out of you_.' Sakyo gulped, but figured that telling the man the number shouldn't matter... right? "The first," he answered.

All color drained from Hasui's face, and his Adam's apple bobbed. He didn't seem to be breathing either. "Tell me what to do."

xXx

Juan sliced the rope, watching the now burning iron-work fall, the other ropes snapping with it's momentum. He searched through the flames, watching the pathetic little twits run toward the door. Juan grinned and pressed a button on a little remote, locking the doors. Then he stuffed the remote into his pocket, delighting in their struggles to open the doors.

They stopped, glancing up, after a few seconds. Then, much to Juan's displeasure, the blond dragged his companions under a staircase. Oh well, this just meant that the game was drawn out. Juan thought that, when she was doing being displeased with him for killing her toys, his love would be happy.

He watched the oldest of the three - the good looking guy with the mole - drag himself between the stairs. Juan didn't wait around to see them come after him. He turned and ran along the catwalk, then through the doors for the inner metal stairs. He clambered onto the stairs there and rushed up to the offices.

He heaved the door shut and blocked it that way with the little wooden pie slice there that was meant to keep it open. It wouldn't hold long, but that was okay. He'd be where he needed to by that point.

His feet were too warm, and when he glanced, he noted that the rubber was melting, even through the carpet here. No wonder this place was abandoned; it was a damn deathtrap.

The thought amused him, as that was exactly what he'd used it for. A death trap. The trap for their deaths. Juan laughed, then quickly opened the last door of the hall. Just as quickly, he jerked his hand back, hissing in pain. It was getting too hot. He had to get out, fast. He could retrieve these guys later, or even not. It didn't matter, so long as Pretty was out of the picture, and Yusa was all his.

Juan ran up to the window and looked out it. Three stories below, there were men pulling hoses along, spraying the building. Juan made a face. It would start to cool down the interior. Hopefully, he could handicap their efforts later. For now, he had to work on getting _out_ of this place, and was that them breaking down the door?

Juan shoved up the window, looked at the tree... He put his foot on the sill, just as the door behind him was opened. He jumped, and got a bullet in his shoulder. Fingers grasped at his boot, his hands grasped at the tree.

However, he couldn't hold on. It was his injured arm, and he lost his grasp. His life flashed before his eyes.

xXx

"_Hi! What's your name?"_

_Dark brown eyes lifted, and he took in the pretty girl standing there. He lowered his head, embarrassed. His eye was black, and swollen. "Go away," he said. He didn't want her to see._

_Her laughter echoed, clear, soft and melodic, through the trees of the forest. And then it slid into madness. It always slid into madness._

xXx

His fingers brushed the rough bark of the tree, and he looked back, meeting blue eyes, set in a pale face. Those eyes were full of rage...

xXx

_A booted foot slammed into his ribcage, and he __**heard**_ _the noise of breaking bones. "No! Marcio, __**please**__!"_

_Juan curled up and cried, unable to watch his father beat the shit out of his mother. He __**hated**_ _this man..._

xXx

Juan blinked, wind caressing his skin. Yu-

xXx

_That laughter, beautiful and rich, like dying songbirds lamenting dying songbirds. It was all around him, and she stood above his father. His __**dying**_ _father. Somehow, Juan hadn't seen things going like this._

_Marcio Alvarez lay in his own blood, drowning, and she was laughing, looking happier than he'd ever seen her. She was nuts. Completely crazy._

_Somehow, he loved that, and her._

xXx

He hung in the air, and then he started to fall.

xXx

"_Only one condition, my love," she said, and smiled. "Be with me always. Eat with me. Hunt with me." She kissed him, blood on her lips._

"_Si," he said immediately, and kissed her. That __**taste**__... it was so much more than her. So much more than taste, it was blood, and it was amazing. It was a thrill... It was beautiful._

xXx

He was falling. -sa...

xXx

"_Don't you think he's pretty?" Yusa asked with a giggle, standing in the shadows of the alley way. She'd caught Juan dumping the body of his latest victim. Or rather, his first, on his own. She'd always helped before this._

_Juan looked up, and followed her gaze, watching a man - obviously one, or a very masculine woman - walk down the street. Juan didn't get the appeal, but women were weird. Or this one was. He opened his mouth to dismiss the guy, but she was already walking over, heading toward the crosswalk. She needed to go to work..._

_The Mexican watched her walk right in front of the male, who watched her. He reached out, saying something, and she turned around with a shy smile. That smile... it was so __**fake**__. Why couldn't the man see it? Yusa didn't __**care**_ _that way she-_

xXx

Juan dipped through the air, rushing away from them, from his death. He was getting _away_!

xXx

"_He's mine, Juan. Don't you see? Finally, someone that truly __**loves**_ _me... __**Oh**__, how he loves me..."_

_Juan shook his head. Nothing he said could stop her. He was losing-_

xXx

_SPLAT_!

And there was nothing.

xXx

The sound reached the Tokkei even where they stood, and Seiju had to look away. Usaki didn't pause before he got up on the window sill and lunged for the tree. Once he was seated a branch or two down, Shota grabbed Seiju's arm and tugged.

"We have to go," he said. "Go. Now."

Seiju nodded and climbed out the window. He had to get to Yusa, anyway. Quickly, he dropped to the branch Usaki sat on, then shifted to the branch lower. He paused, glancing up to meet the blond's eyes. "Yusa is in trouble," he told him. "I have to go. Can you keep an eye on Sho-kun for me?"

The vice captain didn't wait for Usaki to agree, and just climbed down the tree. He ignored the body, running past several people who attempted to get his attention (was that Tama-chan? Seiju hoped that Sho-kun had his mask on still, but he couldn't for the life of him remember if he did). He grabbed Igarashi's arm long enough to snatch the man's keys from his uniform pocket.

"Hey!" Igarashi cried, wide-eyed, and watched Seiju run off again. "What in the Gods' names is wrong with that man?"

Seiju jumped into the man's car and started it, backing out of the parking lot. He didn't care about anything else. All that mattered was Yusa, and he was terrified. Had Alvarez done something to her? he wondered as he drove. Was she hurt? Was she scared?

It was taking too long, so Seiju cut through a few alley ways to get to his apartment, where he'd left her. He left the keys in the ignition, not caring if someone stole it, and darted up the outside stairs to the second floor. He struggled with the lock a moment, then shoved his door open. It slammed against the wall, echoing in an empty room.

"Yusa?" he called softly, stepping inside. The bathroom light was on, the fan going and the door shut. Maybe she was bathing? "Yusa, are you home?"

The door clicked shut behind him and he whirled. Something swung into his sight, large and probably made of wood. He didn't even have time to put up his arms before he was cracked on the head. He dropped like a stone, the smiling creature standing over him holding a wooden bat. "Oops."

xXx

**This update's a little short, but I'm writing to the end of the arc for the next chapter, so please bear with me. I thought I'd post a chapter for you guys anyway, since you're being so patient. I would like to thank Maim, who left me a lovely Anon review for chapter 8, and I feel bad for only just not getting to thank her for that. ^^**


	11. My Bitter Love

**Hogosha**

**Chapter 11**

**My Bitter Love**

"**Love has the power of making you believe what you would normally treat with the deepest suspicion."**

**-Mirabeau**

When Seiju came around, he wished he could hold his head. It was pounding, and he felt like he'd been in a tussle with a bull. The lights were too bright, though it was blessedly silent. His arms were tied to a metal chair, which was sealed to the floor beneath his feet. His legs were tied in place too, though he wasn't gagged in any way. His mask was gone, however, as was his shirt. Thankfully, they'd left him his shirt.

Wincing, he opened his eyes, staring at the table not five feet away. Yusa sat there, eating something, and it took him an entire ten minutes to realize what he was staring at. He felt sick.

He must have made some noise, because she looked up, a human arm bone in hand, and smiled brightly. "Sei-kun! You're awake. Good. Want some?" She held it up, offering.

Mutely, he shook his head, swallowing the bile rising in his throat. He watched her shrug and take another bite. When he had control of himself, he spoke. "Wha-" He stopped, mouth suddenly dry, and cleared his throat. Swallowed. "What's... going on? Yusa?" He wanted to believe it was all a horrible nightmare.

"Dinner, at the moment," she replied. "I'm hungry, and tugging your dead weight around didn't help at all! Normally, I would have had poor Juan do it, but since you've gone and killed him, I have to do all the work again." She wrinkled her nose. "Luckily, Juan had some leftovers, so it's all good!"

He closed his eyes, unable to watch as she took another bite. Maybe this was one of the missing Tokkei...

"Now, now, Sei-kun, what kind of expression is that?" she murmured.

His eyes snapped open, finding her face inches from his, a twisted smile stretching her lips. "Y-Yusa," he stammered. She kissed him, and he nearly gagged at the taste of blood on her lips.

Then she was pulling away, and he screamed as pain ripped through his leg. He clamped his mouth shut, fighting the sound and the pain. She was slowly dragging a knife down toward his knee from about mid-thigh.

"Don't stop now," she whined. "I want to _hear_ it... Lemme hear you scream, Sei-kun," she begged, licking his cheek.

He swallowed. "How... long have... I been unconscious?" he demanded, rather than give in. "Where am I?"

She pouted, pulling away but leaving the steak knife where it was. "We're in Juan's shop, and you've been out for about an hour," she replied. "Don't expect anyone to save you. I've destroyed your jacket and your boots, where those pesky locator beacons of your's are. Your mic too, and anything else I could find." She smiled sweetly at him. "They won't find you, at least not until it's too late."

Panting, Seiju looked up at her, shaking his head. "Why?" he croaked. "Why you?"

She smiled. "Oh, you wanna hear my life story, is that it?" she teased. "Well, I shouldn't disappoint you, then." She giggled.

"Once upon a time, there was this angsty teenage girl that had this pathetic piece of crap mother who blamed her for the father's death. Well, one day, this girl got into a fight with a classmate, and when the classmate fell, dead, the girl panicked. What would she do? How would she get rid of the body? Luckily, the girl remembered the smell of her cooking father from so many years before, so she decided that she would burn the body.

"She hacked it up into little bits, then tossed the first piece into a fireplace... And the smell was _so_ delicious. She couldn't help herself. The girl picked up the leg and took a bite and mmmm..." Yusa threw her head back with laughter. "It was yummy! And ever since, the girl has grown into a beautiful woman and eaten people whenever she wants. What do you think, Sei-kun?"

Seiju, who'd been surreptitiously working at his bonds, frowned up at her. "I think you're insane, Yusa."

Her smile vanished. "SHUT UP!" she screamed, and grabbed the knife, pulling it out and stabbing it into his leg again. She pulled it down, then yanked it out once more. She was smiling in satisfaction as she reveled in his screams. "That's more like it."

He sat back against the chair, panting with exertion as tears of pain rolled down his cheeks against his own will. She was pacing, scowling now.

"You just don't get it, do you, Sei-kun?" she demanded angrily. "That lazy, mopey bitch wouldn't do anything for me! I had to fend for myself! And then the bitch got sick and left me! She went to the damn hospital, you know? I was _alone_! All alone..." She stared at him, face blank. "Then there was Juan, and he understood... I had Juan, and I wasn't alone anymore..."

Suddenly, she threw back her head and laughed and laughed and laughed. "Did you really believe that bull?" she chortled. "Like I ever gave a fuck about that hard-ass."

Seiju closed his eyes, leaning his head back. He was tired, and in pain. Why couldn't this all _end_...? "Are you paying attention?" she whispered in his ear, and the pain reared again.

He screamed.

xXx

When they finally tracked down Igarashi's car, it was sitting unattended, keys in the ignition, outside the apartment building Seiju lived in. They went to his apartment, but the door was unlocked and it was empty. Usaki knelt on the floor just inside the door while Shota went to the closed bathroom door. He knocked, but there was no answer.

Cautiously, he opened it. The curtain was drawn on the tub, a figure casting a shadow onto it. "Seiju?" he whispered.

He tiptoed forward and shoved the curtain aside, staring grimly down at the body propped up against the bath wall. There was a sticky note against a half-rotted forehead, and Shota took it.

"_He's as good as dead. Have a nice meal, if you're into that sorta thing! The meat rotted,_" he read aloud. The message was followed by a frowning smiley face, but no signature.

He looked down at the body, but decay made the face unrecognizable. However, he didn't need the face, as Morioka Jiro wore his uniform, complete with name tag. This was one of the missing Tokkei. A sound from the other room forced him to turn and rejoin Usaki, even as he pulled out his cell.

"Someone was hit with a bat here," Usaki said, tapping his finger against the carpet near a small stain of blood.

Shota lifted a brow. "A bat? How do you get that?"

Usaki pointed wordlessly to the left, and Shota saw a blood-stained bat tossed carelessly aside. He was distracted by the other end of his phone call.

"_Igarashi_," the other person greeted. "_What is it?_"

"We found your car," Shota said. "Seiju's missing. He was hit by a bat and hauled off. We have the bat and a stain on the carpet." He paused, swallowed, and added, "We've also found Morioka."

"_Where_?"

"Seiju's place," Shota replied. He ignored his partner as the blond dashed toward the bathroom. "Get here soon. I'm going to start searching for Seiju."

"_Fine. You and Usagi-kun be careful, you hear me?_" Igarashi growled.

Shota snorted and yawned. "Sure, sure, Degarashi. Ja ne."

"_Why you_-!"

Shota hung up and joined Usaki in the bathroom. The blond looked pale, but his stony face was unmoving. "They're coming?" he asked after a moment.

Shota nodded. "Yeah. We're going to search for Seiju."

Usaki turned on his heel. "Good," he said, stalking out of the room.

xXx

_I'm going to bleed out_, Seiju thought distantly. He sat in the chair, hovering between consciousness and sleep. His leg hurt, but it was a vague feeling. _I'm losing touch with reality, too_, he mused.

"Seeeiii-kuuuun," a voice murmured in his ear.

Pain brought him mostly out of his fog. He didn't scream, but not because he wouldn't, rather he couldn't. His voice was hoarse, throat raw and painful. Why was she torturing him? Why couldn't she just kill him and get it over with?

"Now, now, Sei-kun... So pretty, but so glum. I wonder if I've ever seen you..." Something touched his lips. "Without a smile." She tipped his head back and he felt something cool go down his throat. Water. He started to gulp it, eliciting a mad giggle from his girlfriend. "See? Isn't that nice, Sei-kun?" She pulled the cup away and set it down with a clunk. "I can take care of you forever, Sei-kun..."

_She's insane_, he thought, unable and unwilling to answer.

"Do you love me, Sei-kun?" she whispered. "Do you?"

He'd thought he had... but could he love someone that had tortured him? He didn't know. Not that he'd tell her that. Not if it meant more pain...

"Sei-kun, do you?" When he didn't answer, she scowled, slowly lifting the knife. "Then I'll put you out of your misery."

He closed his eyes, heart aching. How did things end up this way? Why did it have to be her?

"_Well hi then, Sei-kun! Please treat me nicely~"_

xXx

_He was on his way to work when he nearly bumped into her. She was a beautiful woman, not that he hadn't had his share of dealings with beautiful women. But there was something... different about her. He met her startled gaze and just __**knew**_ _that she was __**perfect**__. Maybe even __**the one**__._

"_O-oh, I'm __**so**_ _sorry," she gasped, taking an unsteady step backward._

_He reached out with a hand, gently grabbing her shoulder to help her keep her balance, and smiled brightly. "It's fine. I wasn't watching where I was going," he admitted ruefully._

_She returned his smile shyly. "Okay," she mumbled. "I-I'm Yusa. Nataro Yusa. It's a pleasure to meet you."_

_Seiju beamed. "The pleasure is mine, Nataro-chan. I am Shikibu Seiju." He took her hand and bowed over it, kissing her knuckles._

_She blushed cutely, still with a silly smile on her face. "Oh, hello Shikibu-kun."_

_He shook his head. "Please, my given name, if you would. Or even 'Sei'."_

_Yusa looked taken aback, but then she blushed still darker, this time with pleasure. "Well hi then, Sei-kun! Please treat me nicely~" she implored._

_Seiju met her gaze, pleased. "Always," he whispered, the seal of a promise. "Always, Yusa-chan."_

xXx

A gunshot rang, bringing him sharply out of his half-stupor. He lifted his head, meeting her gaze. She was still smiling, sadistically, but her eyes were dead. Empty. She sighed, swaying on her feet. "I'm sorry, Sei-kun," she whispered. "We couldn't be together." And she crumbled to the ground, the bloody knife in her hand clattering to the floor.

Seiju stared at her unmoving body as someone fumbled with the ropes on his wrists, tugging and pulling insistently. Someone was saying his name, but it was almost drowned out by the roaring of blood in his ears. Black was encroaching on his vision, and he felt light. Lighter than he'd felt in a very long time.

Then there was Shota, kneeling in front of him with tears in his eyes. He was saying something, but Seiju couldn't hear him. Couldn't see anything but her body on the floor behind him. Couldn't _breathe_...

And then there was nothing.

xXx

The waiting room was nearly silent, the only noise that of breath and the _thump thump thump_ of Shota's pacing. There was no one else there but those of the Tokkei. Igarashi, Usaki, Aizawa, Shota and Mikami. There weren't even any doctors, though that was because they were busy saving a man's life. A Tokkei officer. A respected man that always seemed to smile, even when he was dying.

Shota pivoted sharply on his heel and walked back the way he'd paced. Usaki sat still and expressionless on a chair, beside Aizawa whom was trying very hard to keep her tears at bay and largely failing. She had her face buried in Usaki's shoulder, and despite how rigid he was because of it, he didn't try to shift her. Mikami was listening to someone on his cell phone, occasionally offering a hum of agreement or denial. He looked annoyed, brow wrinkled so sharply that it was a wonder he didn't have a headache. Igarashi sat on Usaki's other side, fists clenched in his lap and jaw shut tight like welded iron. His eyes were hard, mouth a line of sculpted stone.

They were all varying degrees of pale or flushed with anger. Igarashi was very red in the face, trembling slightly as he obviously fought to mimic Shota. Shota was scowling, but very, very pale. His eyes were troubled, and Usaki suspected that he was pacing to hide his own shudders. Aizawa's face was red and blotchy from crying, though no one could tell because it was still hidden from view. Usaki himself knew that he was probably as pale as his captain. The only person that seemed to have a normal complexion was Mikami himself, though he was being quite curt with the person on the phone.

"Very well. You have my permission," the chairman finally said, and hung up. "They're preparing the funeral for the other Tokkei. It'll be a joint occasion, since none of them had any family."

Shota, whom he was talking to, didn't seem to hear him. Or at least, he gave no indication of doing so. He merely continued to pace. It was Igarashi that finally answered, speaking through his gritted teeth. "Separate graves, though, right?"

Mikami sniffed. "Of course. Headstones and everything. It's the least we can do."

Aizawa's grip on Usaki's arm relaxed slightly in relief, but she made no other sign of having heard the short conversation at all. Silence fell again.

Suddenly, there was a commotion outside the door before someone tiny burst into the waiting room. "Shikibu-sama!" a high feminine voice cried.

Before anyone else reacted, Usaki had shot to his feet and flashed across the room, kneeling in front of the brown-haired little girl in the doorway. He waved off the hospital security and waited until the door shut behind them before he pulled her gently into a hug. "Amaya-chan," he said softly.

She hugged him tightly, crying. "Usagi-kun, I heard Shikibu-sama was hurt! Is it true? Is he okay? Where is he?" she babbled quickly, and dashed the tears from her eyes. It didn't do much good, as more flowed to replace them.

Usaki picked her up and walked back to his seat, sitting down with her in his lap. "He'll be fine," he promised. "Where did you hear such things?"

Shota had come over to crouch beside Usaki's leg, in front of Aizawa, and nudged the little girl. "That's what _I'd_ like to know."

"It was on the news," Amaya said, pouting. "They didn't give a name, but they said it was the vice captain of the Tokkei! And they said the first b-briga-ade," she stumbled over the word, sniffling loudly. "I knew! I just knew! He's gonna be okay?" she asked pleadingly.

Shota tucked a few strands of half-heartedly wind-blown hair out of her face and behind an ear. "He'll be just fine, Amaya-chan," he promised, frowning.

Aizawa smiled and patted the girl's head. "They're with him right now, Amaya-chan."

The child nodded, not looking convinced, and rested her head on Usaki's shoulder. "He'd better! It'll be sad if he isn't."

Another thought occurred to Usaki, and he frowned at her. "What about your aunt? Does she know you're here?"

She didn't answer for a moment, fidgeting in his lap. Finally, she mumbled, "No... not really..."

Mikami sighed and got up. "I'll go contact her then. She's likely worried."

Amaya pouted after him, then sighed. "I won't be able to see him," she said dejectedly.

Shota and Usaki exchanged a glance. Shota patted her shoulder. "We'll see what we can do."

Half an hour later, a male nurse stepped through the doors, glancing around at the mismatched party. "You're the friends and coworkers of Shikibu Seiju?" he asked, consulting a clipboard.

"Yes," Mikami said, standing up. "How is he?"

The nurse smiled slightly at them and gave Amaya a little wave. "He's stable. We went through a rough patch, but he's a strong kid. He'll survive, even if he has some scars to show off for the ladies," he said confidently. "You can see him, but he's in a drugged sleep so he won't wake up. Please don't try to wake him. He needs to rest."

Shota nodded and beckoned to Usaki and Amaya. "Can you show us?"

Aizawa sniffled a little and got to her feet. "Igarashi-san and I will go give the news to the others," she offered.

"Thank you," Mikami and Shota chorused, glanced at each other, and Mikami continued. "I need to get back to the office anyway, so I'll give you both a ride."

Once they were gone, the nurse lead the three remaining to a private room, urged them once more to leave him be, and left them to it. Amaya reached Seiju first and stared down at his pretty face. Then she clambered up onto the bed, careful of the various tubes and equipment, and cuddled up to Seiju's side.

Usaki and Shota exchanged a look before taking silent sentry on either side of their friend.

That was the way Amaya's aunt, Ishizo Hanabi, found them. She stepped into the room, frowning, and saw her niece asleep beside the injured man. Shota got up, a finger to his lips pointedly, and motioned for the woman to follow him out of the room. Stiffly, she obliged. Once they were ten feet away, she grabbed his arm, stopping him. "What is my niece doing here?" she demanded angrily, voice a hiss.

Shota sighed, cursing Mikami for making _him_ put up with this. "She saw the news about Seiju and was worried."

"For that-that-" she sputtered, and changed her words at the look in Shota's eyes. "_Man_," she spat like something tasting awful. "I won't have it! She's coming back right now and never coming near you _people_ again!"

Shota frowned at her before shrugging. "So long as you're prepared for her reaction."

Half-turned away, the woman stopped and looked at him, scowling in confusion. "What?"

"She adores Usaki," he replied. "It's understandable, of course, seeing as he risked his life to keep her safe. She might resent you if you keep her from the only man that has ever kept his word to her in her life."

Ishizo frowned at him. "What do you know," she muttered, but was obviously thinking about it.

"We're just like you," Shota said quietly. "We're people too."

She snorted. "You're murderers," she refuted just as quietly. "She may hate me for it, but I'll keep her away from such awful influence."

He shook his head. "It's too late, and you know it. Her father screwed with her head before we ever met her."

She didn't answer, didn't _have_ an answer, and turned away. She walked past him again five minutes later, a sleepy Amaya walking with her. Amaya saw him and stopped, jerking out of her aunt's grasp. "Bye-bye, Shota-sama," she said, hugging his waist. "We'll see each other again!"

He patted her head, but refrained from anything else under the glare of her aunt. "Take care, Amaya-chan."

She let her aunt pull her away, waving, and was whisked down the hall and out of sight. Shota sighed and rubbed his temple, then returned to Seiju's room. They had a long wait ahead of them.

**OMG, I am so happy to finish that arc. I mean, I love my psycho villains as much as the next author, but _damn_ it gets tiring after a while! Who knew writing a psycho cannibal would be so exhausting? Anyway, there you go! The last chapter of this arc. Once again, no, it's not the last of the story (we haven't even _really_ gotten to the romancy bits!) or even close to it.**

**As of now, this is unbeta'd, but I'll have my beta look at it eventually. You may wanna take a read through the previous arc, as there have been some minor but noted changes/additions to the story-line.**

**Please review! Thanks.**

**And, because you guys are such neat readers, here's a preview of the next arc.**

The woman stood on a street corner, under the feeble light of a street lamp. In one hand, a beat-up old khaki duffle bag dangled from three fingers. She lifted the other to take a long pull off a cigarette, surveying the surrounding street expressionlessly. She blew out a stream of smoke after a moment and stepped off the curb.

When she reached the other side of the street, she dropped the cigarette butt and crushed it underneath her heel, looking up at the old building she now stood in front of. "Home sweet home," she muttered, voice dry. "I'm still not very impressed." She hefted the duffle and slung it over her shoulder, anchoring it with the same three fingers. Then she walked into the building, a hotel, leaving the street empty once more.


	12. Arc 3

**Hogosha****  
****Chapter 12****  
****Arc 3: Sensei's Favorite**

******A/N: Just a brief note. I'll be going over the previous chapters and doing more edits soon. Thank you so much to all of you for being so patient and waiting for me to update! Here's a brief chapter to tide you over until I finish editing the next chapter. Sorry for the shortness!******

**"Fear makes strangers of people who would be friends."****  
**_**-**__**Shirley MacLaine**__**  
**_**  
**The woman stood on a street corner, under the feeble light of a street lamp. She was short and lithely muscular with long bottle-black hair. The roots of her hair were just starting to show a much paler color, almost white. Dark bangs fell over her pale red eyes, shadowing them to any passersby. She wore faded jeans and a black button-up shirt that hung open, revealing a white T underneath. The only jewelry she wore was a plastic stub in the left side of her nose.****

In one hand, a beat-up old khaki duffle bag dangled from three fingers. She lifted the other to take a long pull off a cigarette, surveying the surrounding street without expression. In the silence, her cloudy exhale seemed to echo, even as she stepped off the curb.****

When she reached the other side of the street, she dropped the cigarette butt and crushed it underneath one white-sneakered heel, face still disturbingly blank. She snorted, looking up at the old building she now stood in front of.****

**"**Home sweet home," she muttered, voice dry. _I'm still not very impressed._****

Hefting the duffle, she slung it over her shoulder, anchoring it with the same three fingers. Then she walked into the building, a hotel, leaving the street empty once more.****

xXx****

**"**I had another nightmare," Seiju murmured, leaning back in the comfortable couch. He was sitting across from a psychiatrist, and he didn't like it. However, in order to get back to work, he would have to put up with it. As this was mandatory, he wouldn't be able to return to active duty until the psychiatrist decided he was completely well mentally.****

The woman in question smiled slightly, something that he hated. There was never anything real behind that smile, besides real annoyance. She obviously was just doing this for the pay, which irked him. "Really? Please tell me about it," she said, clipboard and pen ready.****

He wondered if she actually took notes, or if that was just for appearances and the paper there was in fact littered with various doodles. He didn't ask.****

**"**It was Yusa, again. We were back in the lab," a term they'd begun to use to refer to the place that Juan had killed and prepared his victims, "And she was sitting there at the table again. It was..." He stopped, remembering the nightmare vividly. It had been so real, so painful that he'd woken up in a cold sweat, gasping for breath only to realize he was screaming the victim's name desperately.****

Kimura Sayaka lifted both chocolate brows and tilted her head. "Yes?" she prompted, curious.****

**"**It was... Usaki-san," Seiju murmured, looking down at his hands. This nightmare had been somehow worse than the others. Before, he'd dreamed of Juan and Shota and Igarashi, even Aizawa. Seeing Usaki there, gutted and butchered, had been... painful.****

She hummed thoughtfully, making a notation on her clipboard. "And what happened? Was it the same as the others?"****

He nodded miserably. "Yes. She... ate him."****

**"**And you were tied up, just like before," she said, mostly just for confirmation.****

Seiju nodded anyway. "I couldn't do anything. I was helpless."****

**"**I see. Did you get the medicine I suggested, Seiju?" she asked, and he gritted his teeth; he hated it when she used his given name. "The sleep aid? It really will help you sleep without them."****

Seiju sighed. "Dreams are the mind's way of getting one to cope with things, right?" he murmured, picking at the threads of his plain black shirt. It was getting rather worn, but as he'd had it for three years, that was only bound to happen.****

Kimura nodded. "Yes, that's right."****

**"**So I'll just let them happen," he replied, and looked at the clock. Still twenty minutes left of the session.****

Kimura sighed. "Seiju... You really should use the sleep aids. They'll help you get _rest_," she said, pouting slightly. When he shook his head, she pursed her lips in annoyance. "Then at least stay somewhere you feel safe. You've told me that the apartment just makes the nightmares worse, so go stay with a friend. You get better sleep in the car on the way here than you do in your own bed."****

He thought about it, then frowned. "I don't know if I really have anyone I _could_stay with. Sho-kun lives with Tama-chan, so he's out. Aizawa is staying with her sister. Igarashi... well, no, not going to happen-"****

**"**What about Usaki-san?" Kimura suggested. "Maybe if you stay with him, you won't have those sorts of nightmares, huh? At least not about him."****

**"**But he's so... so _private_," Seiju protested, shaking his head quickly. "I wouldn't want to intrude on him." Though, if he were to be honest with himself, it was a bit more than that. Still, he didn't want to tell _her_as much. She'd only analyze it, which really wasn't something he was ready for.****

Kimura gave him a look. "At least ask him. If he says no, then that's that. If he says yes, just find little ways to make it up to him. It's not like you're moving _in_. Just staying with him until the nightmares stop," she reasoned.****

He sighed. "I'll ask," he relented. A part of him was afraid that Usaki _would_say yes, then resent him for it later. Would such a thing even happen? There was just no telling with Usaki, because the blond still had this awful habit of keeping them all at arm's length.****

Kimura smiled. "Good! Now, about last week's session..."****

xXx****

**Baaah, I'm SO FRIGGIN' SORRY! I haven't updated in a while, even though this arc was ****finished ages ago. *bows deeply* Many apologies! But I'm back, and I'm working on the next arc after this one! So please review and enjoy!**


	13. Blast From the Past

**Hogosha**

**Chapter 13**

**Blast From the Past**

******"And though thou notest from thy recess old friends burn dim, like lamps in noisome air love them for what they are; nor love them less, because to thee they are not what they were."****  
****-**_**Samuel Taylor Coleridge**_****

Usaki yawned and opened his apartment door, dressed only in a pair of pants without even his glasses on. He blinked slowly at the slightly fuzzy figure standing there. "Huh?" he grunted.

"Oh, did I wake you? I'm sorry," Seiju said, shifting uncomfortably. He turned to go. "I'll come back later."

Usaki blinked some more. "Hey, wa-" he began, then interrupted himself with another yawn. "Wait, come back," he finished, stepping back to let his vice captain in.

Seiju hesitated, biting his lip, but he finally stepped inside so Usaki could close the door. Usakis new apartment was a little bigger than Seijus, with an actual bedroom set off from the living room area, a separate kitchen and a bathroom. All three rooms were arranged around the living room, where the front door was, and the bedroom lead off onto a balcony.

When Usaki turned away from Seiju to go to the kitchen, Seiju spotted his gun tucked into the back of his pants. He smiled sadly, knowing that the affair with Yamajiro had taught Usaki not to open the door without a weapon on him. It was a sad, but necessary lesson.

"Tea?" the younger man grunted, still looking slightly sluggish with sleep.

"Please," Seiju said quietly, following him into the kitchen.

There was a small table with two chairs tucked into it in one corner. The counter was short and half covered with a toaster, blender, microwave and sink. The stove was downright tiny, with four small burners and an oven space, sitting diagonal to the table. Against the wall between the stove and the counter, which was parallel to the table, stood the refrigerator. And finally, above and below the counter were two rows of three cupboards each.

Usaki went to these, the ones on top, and retrieved some tea packets, then set a kettle on the stove to heat some water. Once that was done, he left briefly to retrieve his glasses before taking a seat at the table. Seiju followed his example reluctantly when the blond gave him an expectant look.

Now they sat beside each other - well, one on each accessible side of the table - in a thick silence, Usaki half listening for the tea kettle. When it went off, the blond got up and poured them some tea, then sat down again as they waited for the tea to steep. Silence once more.

As Seiju finally took a sip, Usaki sighed. "So, what is it?" he asked, staring at the other male.

Seiju swallowed and sighed. "Well..." He stopped. Should he even? He didn't want to impose...

"You want something, right? Just say it," Usaki said calmly. "I'll help however I can."

Seiju looked down, feeling slightly ashamed. Was it that obvious? "I've been... having nightmares. Since... Yusa," he said haltingly, resisting an habitual smile. Somehow, though he'd been getting better at showing his real emotions, that smile kept wanting to appear during the most difficult times. "It's worse, at home. I don't sleep much there."

Usaki frowned. "You want to stay here?" he asked, catching on quickly.

Seiju smiled in embarrassment. "Yes. No. I don't know. My therapist suggested I stay with a friend, and well..."

"No one else is convenient, is that it?" Usaki asked. He didn't appear to be offended at the insinuation that he was a last resort, but then Seiju really shouldn't have expected otherwise. This was Usaki, after all.

The taller male nodded. "Yes. I mean, I don't want to be an inconvenience, so if you can't, I will be okay at home. I just thought I'd ask," he explained quickly, though he was relieved to have just gotten it out.

Usaki shrugged, sitting back in his seat. "It's fine. I'll help you bring anything you need from home," he said, but made no move to get up.

Seiju smiled in relief. "Thank you, Usagi-kun," he mumbled.

Usaki didn't correct him, for once.

xXx

Shota and Usaki turned when the door opened, the former grinning and the latter offering a nod of greeting. "Welcome back, Sei!" Shota proclaimed, stepping forward to embrace his friend.

Seiju smiled back at them as he returned his captain and best friend's hug. "Thank you. It's good to be back. Hello, Mikami-san." He offered his superior a bow in greeting.

Mikami nodded to him, looking boredly tolerant of the display. "Welcome back, Fukutaicho. I trust your leave was restful?"

"As much as I could make it, sir," Seiju fibbed lightly.

Though the blond said nothing, Usaki gave his friend a look. He knew that Seiju was lying, and that the older male often woke three or four times during the night from one nightmare or another. Even though the woman was dead, Yusa still haunted her lover more than Seiju would ever admit to anyone.

"Good," Mikami said with a vague smile. "Makes things a little easier." He sat forward and scooped up a folder, opening it to peer inside. "As it so happens, I have a mission for the three of you. I want you to track down wanted criminal 5498, Akida Namimaru." He handed over the paperwork. "He blew up a building, causing thirty four casualties, and attempted to murder three more people after that. Luckily, an off-duty police officer apprehended him, but he got away. He hasn't been seen in a week, but his last known place of residence was with a traveling _circus_."

"A circus?" Seiju and Shota chorused, both wide-eyed.

Mikami bit back a smile. "It gets better. He was the mime for the circus, which is how he got into the building to blow it up. Apparently, no one knows if he took anything, because the room the blast originated from was _completely empty_ to begin with. His motives for the murders are unknown, but it doesn't matter. He's a murderer on the execution list now, and that's all we need."

Shota nodded. "Alright. Do we know where the circus is now? It's the best place to start."

Mikami nodded. "The fairgrounds, at the moment. Take a car, and go. Good luck." They started to leave, but Mikami cleared his throat. "Fukutaicho, a moment?"

Seiju stopped and nodded the others on, then turned to smile at the department head. "Sir?"

"Kimura-san informs me that you've been having trouble sleeping. It won't get in the way of your work." It wasn't a question.

Seiju bowed. "Of course not," he agreed.

Mikami sighed and sat back in his chair. "Very well. Dismissed."

xXx

It didn't take the first brigade very long to reach and enter the fairgrounds, where the circus was currently doing nightly shows. A pretty blonde receptionist even offered to show them around, eying Shota like he was her next meal, but they politely refused.

"Who was Akidas employer again?" Shota asked Seiju.

Seiju hummed softly, thinking back. "Tan Zi-Lyn, I believe," he replied softly. "He's apparently an immigrant and has been living here for almost seven years. He hired Akida when Akida showed remarkable talent as not only a mime but an acrobat as well. Tan-san has a habit of hiring shady characters for his circus, so we'd best keep an eye out. Just in case."

Shota nodded and stopped a passing acrobat to ask where they might find the man in question. The woman - wearing tiger-striped clothing with her skin painted black and white split down the middle - nodded toward a large tent that towered over the rest. "He should be in zere," she said, accent thick and probably meant to be Russian. "He is vorking vith Marco and Polo, I zink. Probably, anyvay." She shook off Shotas arm, sniffed and trotted away.

'_Marco and Polo?_' Shota mouthed questioningly to Seiju, who shrugged and mimed wide-eyed wonder. The captain snickered.

They wandered around and eventually managed to find an unobstructed path to the big tent. Walking inside, they were somewhat surprised to find a freakishly tall Chinese man running a couple tigers through hoops.

"HO! Marco!" the man shouted, snapping a whip. "Left! Polo, right!" Snap. "Leap through the 'fires'!" The tigers obediently lunged through a couple of large, unlit hoops.

Usaki frowned faintly and stepped forward after a few minutes of watching. "Tan-san?" he called questioningly.

The man held up a finger without turning to look at them, and slowly ushered the tigers to sit on either side of him before he faced them with a wide smile. "Ooh? Tokkei officers, in my lovely circus! How wondrous!" He stepped forward and snatched up Shotas half-raised hand, shaking it eagerly. "Such a strong grip! My, my, the power your body possesses must be _immense_."

Seiju cleared his throat, eying the tigers somewhat warily. "Ah, yes, we do go through extensive training..." Did that tiger just smirk at him? He was almost certain it did.

Shotas brows furrowed at the look he was receiving from the circus owner, and he quickly extricated his hand from Tan's clinging grip. He'd been practically petting it. "We need to ask you a few questions," he said, smiling uncomfortably behind his mask. "About a former employee of yours?"

Tan nodded, looking as if it was perfectly normal to undress someone with his eyes. "You speak of Akida, the bomber?" he asked pleasantly.

"Yes," Shota confirmed.

Tan beamed. "Ah, yes, my lawyer said someone might be coming by. Please," he said, and waved his arms magnanimously. "Ask your questions."

"Prior to the bombing, had he been acting oddly? Maybe he was meeting with someone you thought was shady?" the captain asked.

Tan grinned as if he'd heard a funny joke, and spread his arms to indicate the circus. "We are all 'shady', as you call it, Tokkei-san. Perhaps you could be a bit more specific?"

"Did you notice anyone giving him anything?" Usaki inserted quickly. "Maybe something you couldn't identify, or an unknown transfer through something like a bag or backpack."

Tan hummed thoughtfully at that. "Now you mention it, yes... I do recall a man coming to visit him two weeks ago. He claimed to be Akida-chan's cousin, and Akida confirmed it. The man gave Akida a bag with spare clothing in it. I suppose there could have been other things hidden there as well," he speculated.

"Can you describe him?" Seiju queried with a smile, eyes glued to the nearest cat. It yawned, displaying an impressive set of sharp teeth.

Tan shook his head. "Dark hair, pale, dark eyes," he replied and shrugged. "He was dressed casually, jeans and a plain black hoody. I think it had a zipper. When I spoke with him, his voice was... mm... well, very soft, very deep. Aside from that, I didn't study him all that closely." He paused, searching his memory, and lit up. "Oh! And when I shook his hand... I noticed that he has a tattoo of a scorpion right here," he said, tapping the base of his palm near the thumb. "I thought it was an odd place for a tattoo."

Shota shook off the sense that he should recognize that and gave the man a grateful smile. "Did he happen to leave any sort of... business card or something?" he asked hopefully.

"No, he did not," Tan replied, placing a hand on the left tiger's head when it shifted uncomfortably. "If that's all...? I need to get back to these two. They aren't used to sitting around like this when they are out of confinement."

The trio bowed in unison. "Thank you for your assistance, Tan-san," Shota intoned, smiling behind his mask. He glanced at the tigers before turning away and heading out of the tent, his partners beside him.

"Well, that isn't much to go on," Seiju commented, sighing. "It's like a tease. A really big detail, but no place to start."

Usaki nodded. "We could always try talking to the mimes," he suggested, gesturing toward a man that was waving one hand into the face of a girl in a pink tutu. She slapped the hand away, yelled for a minute and stomped off.

Shaking his head, Shota shrugged. "May as well," he said, starting for the man.

It was at that moment that he turned and spotted the approaching Tokkei. He froze, and then took off, running away. Usaki and Seiju exchanged glances before the three of them darted after him. They pushed through the milling crowd of off duty circus performers, shoved past closed vendors, ducked underneath tent ropes, all the while barely keeping the man in sight. He was fast on his feet.

They managed to follow him into a medium sized tent, about the size of two public transport buses sitting side by side. He was waiting for them when they dashed through. A steel cage dropped down on them after he jerked hard on a rope at his side, trapping them in place. The mime smiled widely, eyes dancing, and circled around the cage as Usaki rattled the bars. He picked up a club and narrowly missed breaking the blonds fingers when he struck the bars.

He clucked his tongue and wagged a disapproving finger at the youngest Tokkei. Shota growled. "What the hell? Let us out!" he snarled, meeting the mans eyes.

The man mimed heavy laughter, clutching his stomach and silently leaning backward as he threw his head back and shook his body. He snapped straight all of a sudden and shook his head at Shota, wagging a finger.

Seiju jerked the folded picture out of his back pocket and eyed it, then frowned at the mime. It _could_ be him... but it was difficult to tell through the make-up. "Who are you?"

The mime lifted one hand to his chin, propping the elbow on his other arm that rested across his chest, miming a thinking pose. After a beat, the hand at his chin straightened, index finger pointing toward the ceiling of the tent in a 'light bulb' gesture. He twirled around and spread out his arms, then waved them up and down at his front as he grinned.

"Yes, we _know_ you're a mime," Shota growled. "What is your name?"

The mime waved them off and pulled a gun out from behind him, probably from his waistband. He fiddled with it a moment, switching off the safety and making sure it was loaded, then braced himself and aimed. He paused a moment to wiggle his fingers in a faux cheery 'good bye' before taking up the stance again.

Shota reached for his own gun, but found nothing but empty air. His eyes widened, and he realized the man was _holding_ his gun! When the hell had that happened? Did he snatch it when he was circling the cage?

That's when a shadowy figure stepped up behind the mime. The man stiffened and turned his head, drawing in a gasp. Then he crumbled to the ground, dropping the gun. Shota was confused for a beat, until she turned and he saw her face. "S-sensei!?"

Pale eyes met his. "Well, well, if it isn't Shota no Baka. Look at the trouble you've gotten yourself into this time," she scoffed, crossing sleeved arms over her chest. The neck-less shirt was black and form-fitting, somehow suiting her perfectly.

"What happened to him?" Usaki asked, frowning down at the now unconscious mime.

"Pressure points," the woman replied vaguely.

"You know her, Sho-kun?" Seiju murmured softly, eying the unfamiliar woman.

Shota sighed, frowning at her. "Yes, unfortunately. This is Chang Lao, my academy martial arts instructor. She retired the year before I graduated, due to 'personal reasons'."

Seijus eyes widened. Now that he was paying more attention, he realized that she really did hold herself like she was someone dangerous. Funny how he hadn't noticed it before. "I... I see..."

The woman sighed and shook her head. "Anyway, I have better things to do than babysit you, Shota no Baka. Why don't you take care of this guy, huh? I'm going."

"Sensei," Shota said patiently, tapping a bar of the cage. "A little help, please?"

She threw back her head and groaned. "Idiot," she retorted, but tugged on the rope to lift the cage. Once they were out, she tied it back to the peg it had been secured to in the first place and flicked her fingers dismissively at them. "Good bye," she said, stepping toward the exit.

"Sensei, wait!" Shota cried, stepping forward to stop her.

She halted and glowered over her shoulder, obviously annoyed. "What now?"

"Why are you here?" Shota asked, frowning. At her blank look, he quickly clarified. "I mean, right here? With us?"

The confusion left her face and she turned to them, arms crossing. "I was passing through. Heard about a killer mime, thought I'd go see a circus..."

"You were hunting, weren't you?" Shota demanded, hands curling into fists at his sides. "That's why you were in so much trouble when you left, right?! Why do you keep doing this!"

She blinked at him. "What business is it of yours? You're a lot nosier than you were the last time I saw you."

He looked away. "I've... changed. Things are different. _I'm_ different."

"So you're saying you're not an idiot doll anymore?" she asked, sneering. "I'll believe it when I see it."

"I'm not!" Shota insisted, glaring at her.

Seiju placed a hand on Shotas shoulder, hoping to calm him. He smiled at the woman. "Please leave. You're not supposed to be here, Chang-dono."

She sneered. "Grow a beard, girly," she retorted childishly and abruptly left the tent.

"That was interesting," Usaki murmured before kneeling and checking the mime's pulse. He had taken the time that they were distracted with Chang to tie the man up. Now he pulled out his cellphone and made a brief call. Hanging up, he straightened. "They're coming. Taicho, you should see this."

Shota turned to face his youngest partner, and eyed the hand that Usaki was holding. On the base of the palm was a scorpion tattoo. "It's the man that Tan was talking about... But what is he doing here?"

"Maybe the reason he visited Akida was because he was researching the circus for something?" Seiju suggested.

Shota shrugged and lifted the man, throwing him over one shoulder with a grunt. "Possibly," he muttered. "Let's get him to the police station. I want to get back onto the hunt for Akida."

xXx****

**There ya go! Sorry if it's a bit awkward in places. My writing style has changed a bit since I wrote it, and I did a few edits here. Still, enjoy! Please review.******

**Translation Note: Shota no Baka is a nickname, meaning 'Shota, you idiot', 'stupid Shota', or 'Shota the Idiot'.**


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